


Rehabilitation

by PetildaFan



Series: Arc-V Epilogue Series [2]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: Canon - Anime Dub, F/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-04
Updated: 2018-09-10
Packaged: 2019-02-10 09:02:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 64,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12908673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PetildaFan/pseuds/PetildaFan
Summary: Side effects may include a loss of self-identity and individuality, frequent nightmares, questioning your own existence, severe mental trauma, constant panic attacks, spontaneous crying at random moments, and a strong desire to stay with loved ones at all cost. Co-written with Violetganache42 from Tumblr. Takes place between Chapters 6 and 7 of Arc-V Aftermath.





	1. Homecoming

**Author's Note:**

> Let's face it. After nearly ceasing to exist and spending a good number of days sharing bodies, the Yu-Salad Boys and Bracelet Girls needed some time to recover.

Was it a success? From the looks of things, it was.

The mind merge happened much faster than anyone initially thought. One night, Yugo and Rin were having a sleepover at the Boyle house and then Yuya and Zuzu were desperately heading to Duel Academy to find Leo the next day. They got some help along the way: Yugi Muto, the current owner of Kame Game Shop who helped out with the separation procedure, and a Slifer Red girl named Tea Gardner, Yugi’s childhood friend whose dreams of being a dancer were dashed and kept an eye out for Declan’s arrival. Thanks to the two’s assistance, the merging minds of Zarc and Ray were split back into their reincarnations, but the results were somewhat different than anyone anticipated.

The four dimensions reunited back into the Original Dimension because Zarc wanted to make up for the destruction he caused years ago, causing a massive commotion among all the residents of Paradise, Heartland, Domino, and New Domino Cities. He and Ray also gave the eight counterparts some parting gifts, in which everyone witnessed: different eye colors to match the Four Dimension Dragons for the Yu-Salad and markings of the Natural Energy Cards to replace the Four Dimension Bracelets for the newly-revived Bracelet Girls.

Everyone celebrated that they were all okay… Well, mostly everyone…

Kameron and Astra Obsidian, Shay and Lulu’s parents and CEOs of the successful ObsidianCorp, were worried about their daughter, who was still unconscious. They haven’t seen her since the night of the Heartland Duel School dance when the Invasion struck. They were aware of this separation on the day of Yuto’s job offer, so they knew about the side effects that might happen to her. Their own daughter was abducted and trapped in an unknown dimension for months; the last thing they needed was for her to suffer from severe mental damage or permanent amnesia.

The three Obsidians approached the girl’s unconscious body. “Lulu?” Astra asked, sounding concerned.

A few seconds later, Lulu stirred a bit before opening her pink eyes. “Mother?” she asked. “Father?”

Her parents started tearing up in joy because Lulu recognized them. It was relieving that she didn’t become amnesiac, but what about her mental state? Is it still intact? However, she started crying.

“I can’t believe it,” Lulu said, sobbing as she looked at her hands. “After all this time… I’m finally back in my own body.”

She lunged her recovered body forward to give her parents and brother a big group hug, with tears pouring out from her eyes. It felt amazing to be back in her own body after everything she went through. She can finally be with her family again and try to go back to living a normal high class life again. But the family quickly realized those weren’t tears of joy. She was genuinely upset.

“Lulu?” Astra asked.

“I never thought…I would have my body back,” Lulu sobbed. “Suddenly ceasing to exist and waking up trapped in a body with three other minds…” She started trembling, her sobs preventing her from speaking properly.

It was probably one of the worst—if not, the worst—experiences of her life. Four souls sharing one body was truly depressing for her. She did enjoy her counterparts’ company, but this was not the kind of thing she expected. Her soul forced to fuse with three look-alikes out of their free will was quite traumatizing for her, especially considering the fact that the Fusion Parasite made her incorporate Fusion Summoning into her perfect pure XYZ strategy worsening her resentment towards this special summoning technique. Kameron and Astra tried their hardest to comfort their only daughter; they have never seen her so upset before, but it was understandable.

“Shhh…” Astra said soothingly, rubbing Lulu’s back. “It’s alright, dear. You’re safe now.”

Lulu hugged her mother as tightly as she could while being unable to control her sobbing. This was the first time she gets to see her family in a while yet the remaining thoughts of her physical body perishing still lingered in her head.

“Don’t worry, dearest daughter,” Kameron said. “If our home is still standing after this whole dimension merge thing, we’ll have the robot maids treat you to a princess spa treatment.”

Lulu sniffled a bit as she looked at her father. “R-Really?” she asked.

“Of course,” Kameron answered.

“Come to think of it, I could use a massage,” Shay realized, rubbing his left shoulder with his right hand. “My back has been feeling a bit sore ever since the Invasion.”

Lulu wiped the tears from her eyes from what her father said. Does that mean Zarc restored their hometown to its former glory? She was really hoping so because a spa treatment sounded good right about now. “Thank you, father,” she said.

Shay looked over at Yuto, who was happy to see his old dueling club friends again. “Hey Yuto, are you coming back with us?” the Raidraptor user called out. “Mother and father think Heartland was rebuilt!”

Yuto’s eyebrows raised up in surprised satisfaction of the possibility of the city being rebuilt before having his mind process on what may also happen. After a few moments, his eyes widened in realization. It was subtle, but his lips moved as if he was mentioning someone. Does that mean she’s back? Is she revived after all this time? These questions built up in his head in hope of seeing her again.

His mom…

Yuto could already imagine it. He arrives home and Lono Osaku is already waiting for him, ready to hug him tightly as the two shed tears of joy. Maybe they could check out the latest movie, or maybe even go shopping at the local mall. But regardless of what happens, he knew they have a lot of catching up to do.

“Maybe tomorrow!” Yuto called out to Shay. “I want to stop by my place!”

While Yuto ran off to return to his home, the Obsidians (with Lulu having gathered her things from the Boyle residence) made their way back to their own home. They noticed so many people on the streets and sidewalks rejoicing with joy-filled tears at the sight of the fully-restored buildings: schools, businesses, markets, houses, you name it. These must be a clear indicator that what Kameron said must be true, and if it is, then their house’s destruction must have also been reversed. Sure enough, once they finally made it back to where they lived, they saw through the front gate that the damage has indeed been undone. The structure of their home was reconstructed to the way it was, the hedges reformed to its normal shapes, and the grass was still freshly-cut instead of incinerated by fire. The family was ecstatic to see their home was no longer ruined by Duel Academy’s onslaught, but just to make sure, they wanted to see if their robot maids were fully functional too.

Kameron pressed the button on the gate’s intercom. “Orbital, open the gates,” he happily ordered. “We have returned home.”

A few quick seconds passed before the intercom beeped, indicating Orbital’s response. “MASTER K-KAMERON? IS… IS THAT YOU?”

“Yes it is,” Kameron replied. “Along with Astra, Shay, and especially Lulu.”

After the Interdimensional War had ended, everyone had been working hard to rebuild their town while also coping with living with what they had gotten and the Obsidians were no different. For the time being, Kameron, Astra, and Shay had been staying at their family company until the citywide reconstruction was complete, but since it occurred way earlier than everyone anticipated thanks to Zarc, that idea was ultimately scrapped. It was for the best though; they all missed their familial lifestyle.

“EVERYONE, THE OBSIDIANS HAVE RETURNED!” Orbital called out to the other robot maids. “I REPEAT: THE OBSIDIANS HAVE RETURNED!”

The front gates then opened up, allowing the Obsidians to head up the small hill. As they walked, the family marveled at the sight of seeing their repaired home, especially Lulu. During her time with the Resistance, she didn’t even want to think about what it looked like after the Invasion struck. They arrived at their front door and were all greeted by the robot maids. In front of them were two robots: Orbital 7, the house’s butler as seen by his black bowtie, and Lillybot, Lulu’s former nursemaid.

“WELCOME HOME MASTER K-KAMERON, MISTRESS A-ASTRA, MASTER S-SHAY, AND MISTRESS L-LULU,” Orbital said with a bow.

Lillybot held out a familiar teacup. “I HAVE PREPARED YOUR USUAL CUP OF TEA, MISTRESS LULU,” she said. “IT IS WONDERFUL TO SEE YOU AGAIN.”

Lulu immediately recognized the brewed cup of tea being presented to her. She hasn’t had it in a while, but it felt like forever to her. She took it from Lillybot before taking a sip of it; it was _exactly_ as she remembers it.

“Filtered water boiled in exactly two minutes, a small-sized sugar cube stirred in three times, and a single drop of unsweetened honey for an extra kick,” Lulu recited. She smiled softly. “My morning tea.”

“CORRECT,” Lillybot confirmed. “I COULD NEVER FORGET YOUR PREFERRED TEA PREFERENCES.”

Lulu smiled at her robotic assistant, knowing that the city’s revival also recircuited the robots’ installed programs. She was glad to be back home after all this time. And sure enough, the other robots remembered the Obsidians’ schedules.

“MASTER SHAY, YOU ARE OVERDUE FOR A HAIRCUT.”

“MY GOODNESS, MISTRESS ASTRA. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU BATHED?”

“YOUR SUIT MUST BE CLEANED PROPERLY, MASTER KAMERON. IT REEKS OF NATURAL ODOR.”

The three robot maids escorted Kameron, Astra, and Shay to different rooms, but can you blame them? Survival was more important at the time, even after all the carded victims were freed, so that had to come first. As for Lulu, the rest took note on how unusually clean she was.

“MY GOODNESS, MISTRESS LULU. YOU ARE AS BEAUTIFUL AS EVER.”

“YOUR HAIR IS NOT AS SOFT AS IT WAS BEFOREHAND, BUT IT LOOKS INCREDIBLY CLEAN.”

However, Lillybot looked at Lulu’s back. “MY SCANNER DETECTS A SLIGHT IMPERFECTION ON YOUR BACK,” she realized. Her eyes started glowing red. “WHO DID THIS TO YOU?”

Seeing Lillybot’s glowing red eyes always caught Lulu off guard, but she managed to explain to her and the other two robots about what had happened. Basically, a friend of Zuzu’s named Julia Krystal treated her to a full body pampering at Paradise City’s spa because Yuya had an idea of Leo Corporation hosting a dance to give all the students at Heartland Duel School another chance to spend an enjoyable night. At the same time, she and everyone else that attended were provided fresh clothes, in which she was currently wearing; it was a white sundress with silver sandals. She also mentioned about how her back was scarred due to Ancient Gear Hunting Hound’s attack, so she had to get metal spinal plates installed to prevent her from getting paralyzed. She admitted that it slightly made her back hunched, but she would rather have that than become paralyzed from the waist down.

One robot maid grew concerned. “WHAT HAPPENED TO THE LOVELY SILK DRESS I MADE FOR YOUR FIRST SCHOOL DANCE?”

Lulu sounded a bit sad when she sighed and explained that the dress got torn up at the bottom and was divided into three sections when one of the first attacks destroyed the school. She ended up using it as part of her Resistance attire.

“YOU MUST BE JOKING,” the robot maid insisted.

Lulu used her free hand to take the leftover dress from one of her bags. “I’m sorry,” she said, showing the ragged outfit to the robot maid. “And I know you worked so hard on it.”

The dress she held showed the three ripped sections, with the ones on the front and right side looking shorter than the left. On the back were marks of where the Hunting Hound tore through the fabric and scarred her back. After the plates were placed on her spine, she wore a cream vest to hide the scar that was left behind.

The robot maid carefully took the dress from Lulu. “THIS DRESS CAN STILL BE SALVAGED,” she noted. “I SHALL RESTORE IT INTO ITS ORIGINAL BEAUTY.”

“Thank you,” Lulu said. “I would also like to request a princess spa treatment. I need one after everything I went through.”

The robot maids accepted the request and brought Lulu to the spa room while one of them took the dress to the tailor room for repairs. With the town refurbished and everyone returning to their homes, today marked the start of her going back to her normal, high class life.

Meanwhile, Yuto ran through the streets of Heartland to find where his house was. It was obvious that it got decimated when the Obelisk Force came, so he wanted to be sure if his mom was waiting for him there; maybe it was for the best that they may have to find a new house to live in…or was it? All around him, he heard happy, relieved, and tearful voices as he dashed by them. He didn’t paid any attention to them until just now, stopping in a spot that felt…oddly recognizable to him. In between the trees of Heartland Tower that was not too far away from him. He wondered if that was the reason why everyone was gleeful: the town’s revived state.

It definitely wasn’t like this the last time he was here; everything was wrecked and on fire as the color became desaturated and gray within the smoky night sky. He turned his head to his right to see some bushes next to a street light. It was becoming clear to him now… It was the last time he ever saw her…

He started having a flashback on the night of the Invasion when he was running for cover while trying to come up with a diversion to face off against the soldiers. His sprinting was suddenly cut short by an explosion nearby the street light, causing it to partially kill its power. Just then, he heard the sound of sinister laughter and shifted his body to where it came from, only for him to stand in shock at what he was up against. A Chaos Ancient Gear Giant stood before him along with an Obelisk Force soldier. Yuto didn’t know his name, but he never forgot him. The pale skin shown from underneath a silver helmet… The ruthless sadism in his voice…

“There he is,” the Obelisk Force soldier said. “Chaos Ancient Gear Giant, attack that XYZ user!”

It extended its left arm where the blaster was, preparing to shoot another blast directly at Yuto. He would try to fight back with his Phantom Knights, but he might not unleash a counterattack in time, let alone try and dodge the attack. He stood there defenseless as he was about to brace himself; he was about to cross his arms in front of him to try and shield himself, but someone ran in front of him in the nick of time.

ZAP!

The force of the blast’s explosion sent the two flying into the bushes, much to the soldier’s annoyance. He could tell that Yuto wouldn’t have survived if it weren’t for the woman who saved him.

Yuto had lost his glasses when Duel Academy bombed Heartland Duel School, so he couldn’t tell who saved him. However, he recognized the person’s blonde hair. “Mom?” he asked.

“Shh…” Lono said. She placed a hand on his cheek. “Don’t you dare let that beautiful smile leave your face,” she breathed.

Those were the last words she said to him as her eyes closed and her hand slipped down her only child’s cheek, with her arm falling limp. Disbelieved by what he was seeing, Yuto repeated what he said as he shook her body, hoping for her to regain consciousness. It gradually grew more frequent, but in the end, it was inevitable. Her head tilted away from his body, signaling that it wasn’t a dream or a hellish nightmare. It was all too true. Lono Osaku—the first person he has known his entire life, spent so much time with him, and made cherishable memories together—sacrificed herself to save him. His head hung low as tears poured down from his eyes like two waterfalls while holding her lifeless body in his arms underneath the flickering street light, behind the ruined shrubbery, and in front of the exploded pavement.

All of a sudden, as the soldier was about to continue on with his attack, something triggered within Yuto. An emotion locked up from inside him had burst free from its cage. It awakened its power as this new feeling coursed through his veins and flooded his body, making him go…berserk. His head tilted upwards to face his mother’s murderer with his eyes whitened out and covered in a periwinkle glow, furious by what he was forced to witness.

“You’ll pay for what you have done!” Yuto cried out, discarding his ripped suit jacket and loosening his tie.

The soldier let out a sigh. “Whatever,” he said. “Chaos Ancient Gear Giant, don’t miss this time!”

The last thing Yuto remembered was trying to punch Giant out of pure, utter, and consumed rage, but since Ancient Gears appear to be made out of metal and he was as skinny as his counterparts when the Invasion began, he injured his hand in the process and it was super painful.

“You call yourself a Duelist?” the soldier mockingly asked. “Fight with your deck, not your fist!”

Yuto never forgot that night. That incident was scarred right into his mind. A memory that he can never forget. Just as he recalled what happened next, the flashback ended, cutting him back to present day. He stared at the very same spot where his mother’s death took place, analyzing every little detail. The street light was crooked from the explosion as it guttered its last emission of light. It also took off a chunk of the pavement since debris was scattered everywhere on the ground and the grass. The bushes cushioned their fall, but the strength of that attack resulted in them getting wrecked. But now that Heartland was restored and every bit of damage was reversed, this area now looked like his encounter with the Obelisk Force soldier never took place at all. He had a feeling that could spell good news for her unfortunate fate.

Yuto also remembered how that night changed him, looking down at his current attire. What was once a nice suit had become battle-scarred. Some time after that night, the sleeves of his formal shirt were ripped and he added studded wristbands, a dog collar, and a makeshift cape to resemble more of a knightly appearance. He let out a sad sigh, hoping the local suit rental business wouldn’t overcharge him for the damage.

He was at least hoping he’ll be let off the hook; the Invasion was a serious conflict for the XYZ people and the employees who worked at the business where he got his rental suit were also affected by it. Their building was demolished and they were most likely carded by Duel Academy. That was the last thing he needed to focus on because he has to return home to see if his mom was brought back to life. So without waiting another second, he resumed heading back home.

Several minutes later, Yuto ran down the street where he lived until he spotted his home about eight houses away. He made a sharp right turn towards his walkway before making his way in front of his door and opening it. “Mom, I’m home!” he happily called out.

There was no response but his sentence echoing through the house and the chatter of people returning to their houses. This was oddly strange. Maybe she is somewhere in one of the rooms and didn’t hear me loud enough, he reassured himself.

“Mom?” Yuto called out as he walked upstairs. “You’re probably wondering how you came back from the dead, but don’t freak out. I can explain everything.”

As he reached the top of the stairs, he began searching everywhere on the second floor: their bedrooms, the bathroom, and the hallways. It felt unusually weird to see their rooms again after dealing with the Interdimensional War. They maintained their clean, organized appearance and has been that way until the night of the Heartland Duel School dance. He remembered being read fairytales every night when he was younger and even heading into her room to sleep there whenever he had nightmares or woke up in the midst of a thunderstorm. This was getting seriously unusual because the second floor treasured some fond memories and he wanted to create more with her. He quickly realized that he didn’t check all of the first floor when he entered, so maybe she is in one of the downstairs room working on what they should have for dinner or something.

“Do you need help with your famous lasagna recipe?” Yuto asked as he approached the kitchen. “I remember all the spices it needs.”

Yuto loved his mom’s lasagna so much and even helps out with cooking it, which was why he knew the different spices it needed and how much to add. As he entered it, it too was also empty, making his search oddly confusing by the minute. He had a feeling she would be there making dinner because he enjoyed helping her cook and bake food over the years, everything from lasagna, spaghetti, steak, and pizza to cookies, cake, brownies, muffins, pies, and cupcakes. When it comes to making food, she was quite the expert at it and more memories filled his thoughts on the years of cooking they have done together.

Yuto let out a sad chuckle. “I’m serious,” he said, his voice choking up. “I was hoping we can make new memories together. Remember all the movies we watched? All the stores we visited at the local mall? All the-”

His questions were cut off by a framed picture sitting on one of the shelves. He walked closer to it to see that it was no ordinary picture; it was a selfie his mother took with him before they left the house to the school for the dance. She must have framed it and set it on the shelf a couple hours before Duel Academy invaded. That explained her protecting him; she was looking for him and saw him in the Obelisk Force soldier’s range, running up just in time to save him. Of all the places it should have been, he didn’t expect to find it in the living room, one of their favorite rooms in the house. They always gathered here to watch TV, play games, watch squirrels, bunnies, chipmunks, and birds outside, and even open up presents during Christmas and his birthday. It was most likely placed here because of how much they loved bonding in the living room.

He then took a deep look at himself in the selfie. The rental suit was still new-looking at the time, but he noticed something about his eye color and figure that bugged him. Did he really change that much in a small amount of time? Taking the framed selfie off the shelf, he ran back upstairs and headed into the bathroom to answer that question. Looking at his reflection in the mirror, the first thing he caught on in an instant was his changed eye color; he remembered hearing about the slight renditions he, his counterparts, and the Bracelet Girls received when they were separated, but he couldn’t believe what he saw. His eyes were no longer his usual gray tone, but Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon’s golden-yellow hue. Still in disbelief, he took off his cape, tie, and formal shirt to see if his figure had changed as well. Sure enough, it did. Thanks to the Invasion, a six-pack was slightly forming, his pecs were more toned, and his arms have subtlety gained muscle compared to Yuya, Yugo, and Yuri’s matching body shapes.

Gray vs. marigold. Lanky vs. signs of fit shape. Dear god, time has passed, and it felt longer than he hoped for… After everything he went through… He shoves Yuya to save him from Clear Wing’s attack and believes he’s heading to the afterlife to finally meet her again, his soul ends up merged with his Pendulum counterpart’s. Ray and Riley put a stop to Zarc’s returning reign of terror, the fusing dimensions split back into four and all the carded victims are freed. The Original Dimension is brought back and Heartland is reconstructed, the eight counterparts get alterations. No matter what he goes through or what he does, they were all proven to be in vain for him because………she’s gone. Lono Osaku was never coming back and nothing can be done to undo her untimely death.

“Mom…” Yuto said, his voice cracking with sorrow. He closed his eyes as he fell to the bathroom floor with tears pouring out, hugging the framed selfie. “I’m sorry.”

As he sat with his knees on the floor and began to break down into sobs, a notification alarm went off on his Duel Disk. He was too upset and heartbroken to check it, but the notification was for the Webcam app.

Meanwhile, at the Sakaki residence, Yuya was baffled. “That’s strange…” he mused, turning off the webcam app on his Duel Disk.

At that moment, Sora entered the tomato-haired teen’s room. “Who are you calling?” he asked.

“Yuto,” Yuya answered. “I was hoping he could tell me where he lives. I think I overheard him saying something about stopping by his house.”

“Were you hoping he could tell you about your aunt?” Sora asked.

“Of course,” Yuya answered. “I want to learn more about Aunt Lono.”

He had an understanding of what her past life was like with Yoko prior to the dimensional split, but hearing that Yuto wanted to stop by at his house made him think about her again. He knew how much they loved each other, so learning more about her might be something he wanted to do first now that he was split back into his own body.

“Hang on,” Sora said. He typed into his Duel Disk. “All Duel Academy student Duel Disks were programmed with the knowledge of where every XYZ Dimension person lives. I’ll send you Yuto’s home address.”

Yuya was surprised. “How…”

“Invasion protocols,” Sora explained.

Yuya had a feeling it would involve something with the Invasion. His adopted brother used to be an Obelisk Force soldier himself before allying with the Lancers. After less than a minute, a notification alarm went off as he received the text containing Yuto’s address.

“Thanks Sora,” Yuya said as he left his room.

He notified Yoko that he was off to visit Yuto to learn more about Lono; since it was late morning when the blood separation was initiated, there was a possibility that he might go out to lunch with him. Outside of house, he copied Sora’s text and opened up the Maps app to paste it and get directions. Although they were loaded up on the screen, he wasn’t sure if he should walk or take the bus because the four cities have been merged back into one and people have been scrambling to get back to their homes. In other words, it may take a while for everyone to get around since they have never officially been to any of the other neighborhoods. Ironically, his hometown looked exactly the same despite combining with Domino, New Domino, and Heartland. He felt like that’s kind of a good thing because the last thing he needed was the buildings in Yuto’s hometown to be rearranged differently since he sort of knew what it looked like during the two times he went there.

Upon further notice, Yuya noticed the street where Yuto lives is now a few blocks near the Duel Palace. If he took a bus to that place, he should be able to reach the Osaku residence quickly. He altered the directions so that they were within a bus driving distance instead of a walking distance and pressed “Start” to have the built-in GPS announce where he has to go to the bus stop in how many feet, yards, or miles. He ran down his street to begin his GPS-navigated journey to his cousin’s house.

One bus ride later, Yuya was able to arrive at the Osaku residence. He dashed down the walkway before stopping at the open front door, knowing that Yuto has just went in to probably get his bearings at his restored home. After dealing with the war against the Fusion Dimension and coping with having his soul fused within Yuya’s body, it would make sense for him to adapt to his usual, middle class life. As he stepped in, however, he could hear faint sobs coming from upstairs.

“Yuto?” Yuya asked, walking upstairs. He soon stopped at the bathroom, where he saw his cousin sitting on the floor with his cape, tie, and formal shirt discarded on the floor. Why was he crying?

Yuya knelt next to Yuto. “Are you alright?” he asked.

Yuto looked up at the tomato-haired teen. “No, Yuya,” he answered between sobs. “I’m not alright at all.”

“What happened?” Yuya asked.

“She’s gone,” Yuto replied. “My mom wasn’t revived.”

Yuya feared something like this would happen when his cousin came back home. He remained kneeling next to Yuto, comforting him after learning the devastating news about Aunt Lono.

“I’m so sorry,” Yuya said, hugging Yuto and gently patting his back. “She must have been that important to you.”

Yuto was too upset to respond to what Yuya said, let alone say anything for that matter. The tears kept raining down his face as he held the framed picture close to his slightly muscular body.

Yuya wasn’t sure what to say. Since he got both of his parents back, he feared he might say the wrong thing. So instead, he held his cousin close to him, waiting for him to calm down. He hasn’t seen him this depressed since the morning of the LID dance do-over, when he learned about what had happened years before the Invasion and the sudden switch between the two. Just then, an idea popped into Yuya’s head on how he can help cheer Yuto up.

“Would you like to come back with me to my place?” Yuya asked.

Yuto looked up. “Hmm?” he questioned.

“I’ll properly introduce you to my family,” Yuya continued. “Technically they’re your family too.”

He was right; when Yoko regained her lost memories, she recalled all the times she spent with Lono when they grew up together. Now that the dimensional dilemmas are finally resolved, this can be the start of Yuto getting to know his recently-discovered extended family.

Yuto gave Yuya a tight hug. “Thank you,” he said.

“Aw, don’t mention it,” Yuya cheerfully replied.

Because he was shirtless for a little while, Yuto needed to put his clothes back on or get dressed into different clothes. He let go of Yuya and got up off the floor, taking the formal shirt, cape, tie, and framed picture back to his room. He hasn’t been there in a while, so he has to make sure what clothes he should change into; additionally, he realized that his tears stained the lenses of his glasses and he had to clean them with a small cloth.

Some time later, Yuto left his bedroom wearing a black t-shirt labeled ‘KNIGHT CLUB’, dark grey sweat pants, and black sneakers with his glasses clean of any tears. “Alright, I’m ready to go,” he told his cousin.

“Whoa,” Yuya said, noticing Yuto’s choice of attire. “Cool shirt.”

“Thanks,” Yuto replied. “It’s one of my favorite shirts.”

He had gotten it one day at the mall because it reminds him of the similarities he has with the Phantom Knights: they have knightly personalities and are naturally attracted towards the darkness (except Zarc’s darkness).

“It looks great on you,” Yuya said, putting Yuto in a playful headlock.

This caught Yuto off guard because he never been locked in this maneuver before; why was he being attacked all of a sudden? Regardless, he quickly regained his stance and flipped Yuya over, pinning him to the ground.

“Ack!” Yuya yelped. “What was that for?!”

“I was going to ask you the same thing,” Yuto replied.

“It’s just rough housing!” Yuya explained. “Brothers do that all the time! It’s not harmless! I swear!”

Rough housing? He has never heard or done that before since he grew up as an only child. So has Yuya, yet he seems to have a better understanding of it.

“I see…” Yuto said. “My mom did something similar to that when I was younger.”

“What was it?” Yuya answered.

“Something like…this,” Yuto answered. He then started tickling Yuya just as he finished his sentence. If there was any method used to bring smiles to anyone’s face, this was definitely it.

“Yuto!” Yuya cried out between fits of laughter.

“What?” Yuto innocently asked as his fingers went underneath Yuya’s shirt and tickled his sides. “Since we’re technically the same person, you probably have the same weak spots I have.”

As he predicted, Yuya burst out in hysterical laughter when Yuto reached the weak spots. He was right about the two being part of the same person, so no doubt Zarc possessed the same ticklish areas as his reincarnations.

“Okay, I get it!” Yuya laughed, tears coming from his eyes. “Just stop already! I give!”

Yuto let out a soft chuckle. “Alright,” he said, ending the tickle fight and helping his cousin get back on his feet.

That actually felt kind of…nice. It was the first time he engaged in familial bonding with another relative aside from his mom. He wondered how he’ll spend some time with Yoko, Yusho, and Sora for the day since his family tree was interesting; his aunt reminds him of his mom, his uncle happens to be the founder and former teacher of Heartland Duel School, and his adopted cousin was from Duel Academy.

Yuto put his hand near his heart. “I haven’t felt this happy since…” he started to say before trailing off.

“Well don’t you worry!” Yuya happily said, understanding what he was about to say. “C'mon! Get ready to become part of the Sakaki family!”

The two walked downstairs before heading outside of the house, shutting the door, and heading to the bus stop while walking by the many citizens rejoicing in their refurnished homes.

“Wow,” Yuya said. “The people over here seem a little too happy.”

“Of course they are,” Yuto replied. “This whole city was destroyed. Everyone lost all their homes, so seeing everything suddenly recover is causing mass rejoicing.”

“I can tell…” Yuya remarked, noticing a random man kissing his front lawn.

Yuto has never met him in person, but he recognized that man as Tombo Tillbitty, Heartland’s local gardener who was best known for growing vegetables, especially tomatoes. Now that he thought about it, he randomly started thinking about Yuya’s hair and how it resembles a tomato. He let out a small chuckle at the sudden thought.

“What’s so funny?” Yuya asked.

“Your hair really does look like a tomato,” Yuto commented.

“You’re one to talk!” Yuya retorted. He lifted the light purple bang dangling in front of Yuto’s eye. “ _Your_ hair looks like eggplants!”

He wasn’t wrong; the light purple bangs and black locks do bear similarities to purple and black eggplants. “Touché,” Yuto said, swatting Yuya’s hand away from his hair.

One walk to the bus stop and another bus trip back to the Paradise section later, the two made their way back to the Sakaki residence. Yuto never thought he would be back there again, and in his own body nonetheless. He was nervous, but that didn’t stop Yuya from grabbing his wrist and dragging him through the front door.

“I’m back!” Yuya called out. “And I want you to meet someone!”

Yoko, Yusho, and Sora heard Yuya’s voice because they didn’t expect him to be back home that fast. Standing before them was a skittish Yuto with his wrist held firmly in his cousin’s hand. He didn’t want to make things awkward for them since they practically knew him, so he waved “Hello” with his free hand in a rather sheepish manner.

“Lady and gentlemen, allow me to be the first to introduce you all to the newest member of our family!” Yuya happily said. “My newfound cousin and mom’s surprise nephew: Yuto Osaku!”

“You didn’t have to make a big deal about it…” Yuto admitted.

“Nope!” Yuya replied. “You’re a Sakaki now! This is a big deal for us!”

“Technically I’m still an Osaku,” Yuto pointed out.

“Close enough!” Yuya insisted.

“Yuto might be right,” Yoko said. “I know he’s my nephew, but that doesn’t mean he’s officially a Sakaki.”

“But mom, he was crying in the bathroom of his own house,” Yuya recalled. “And he was shirtless for some reason.”

Yuto looked a bit heartbroken. “I changed so much since that night,” he said. “I can never go back to my old life.” He wiped a forming tear away from his eye. “I don’t even know what I should do.”

Yoko had a feeling the night her nephew was referring to was when Lono got killed. She was informed about how Zarc instantly rebuilding Heartland may have sparked his initial hopeful desire to see his mom again, but much like the previous events where he felt like they’ll be reunited, this one also met the same fate that is the cold, cruel, harsh reality. Despite that Yuto was glad to know he had more family members all along, it still didn’t feel right because he grew up living with his mom for his entire life.

“Then how about we bring you over to the Sunshine Skating Rink?” Yoko suggested.

Yuya’s eyes sparkled in delight. “That’s a great idea!”

“Skating rink?” Yuto asked.

“I think I saw that place once before,” Sora recalled. “It’s a place where people roller skate.”

“Yeah,” Yuya agreed. “Besides…” He activated the wheels of his new shoes. “I haven’t used these in a long time.”

“So I take it there won’t be any mishaps like the previous times,” Yusho remarked.

“Not anymore!” Yuya cheerfully answered. He’s gotten used to skating around with the duel skates Alex gave him; the first time he tried them out was during Iggy’s rematch and it was a hassle to maintain balance while going at a fast speed. But ever since then, he has been skating with ease.

“Then it’s settled,” Yoko said. “We’ll have a Sakaki family fun day at the skating rink.”

Yuto wasn’t sure what to expect out of this. He wasn’t sure what Yuya was planning on doing, but whatever it was, he hoped it would work.


	2. The Perfect Image

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With their home fully restored, Shay and Lulu decide to restore their perfect images though various pampering treatments.

“THERE YOU GO, MASTER SHAY,” the robot maid said as she removed the barber’s smock from him. “GOOD AS NEW.”

Shay stared at his reflection in the mirror to see his newly-trimmed haircut. It looked the same, but the noticeably cleaner, healthier, and fresher differences were there. “Not bad,” he said, finger-combing his hair. “I look good.”

“DO YOU NEED ANY OTHER SERVICES FOR TODAY?” the robot maid asked.

“Actually, yes,” Shay answered as was about to get up. “Contact Big Bertha. I need one of her- OOF!”

He fell down face first to the floor as his right human leg moved, but his left prosthetic one failed to respond. It was left in an inactive state that had caused him to fall down and only would move with a device. A device that could transfer Shay’s thoughts to the robot leg and get it to move. His earpiece.

“Did you remove an earpiece from my left ear?” Shay asked.

“MY APOLOGIES, MASTER SHAY,” the robot maid replied as she held out a small earpiece. “I WAS AFRAID OF ACCIDENTALLY CUTTING SOME WIRES DURING THE HAIRCUT.”

She handed it to Shay and he reattached it onto his left ear. The thoughts of him standing back up transmitted from his mind, to the earpiece, and to the robotic leg as he got up from the floor with ease. He briefly explained how essential it was for him to have it because it helps him perform a variety of movements.

“MY SCANNERS INDICATE YOUR LEFT LEG LOOKS NORMAL, BUT IT IS ACTUALLY ARTIFICIAL,” the robot maid stated. “WHAT HAPPENED?”

“My left leg was crushed during the Invasion thanks to a Chaos Ancient Gear Giant,” Shay answered. “Because of that, I had to get it amputated and replaced with a robotic prosthetic.”

The robot maid understood on why the earpiece was necessary for Shay because she was just informed on how it helps control the leg. With the topic already covered, Shay almost forgot to have Big Bertha contacted. “YOU WISH TO HAVE A DEEP TISSUE BACK MASSAGE?” the robot maid asked.

“Correct,” Shay answered. “I also wish for you to get my favorite outfit so I may have something to wear after the massage.”

“OF COURSE, MASTER SHAY,” the robot maid replied.

Meanwhile, Lulu was in the spa room getting a much-needed princess spa treatment. She was currently taking a bubble bath while washing her hair with her FeatherSoft shampoo. The other brand she used back at Paradise City’s spa didn’t make her hair as soft, but it surely made it clean. She typically uses FeatherSoft because it was designed to have such luxuriously soft results…without the damaging oils, of course.

“WOULD YOU LIKE A FACIAL?” a robot maid asked.

“Of course,” Lulu answered as she finished washing the shampoo out of her hair and leaned her head back.

The robot maid took a towel and wrapped it around Lulu’s head to help get her wet hair out of the way. She then proceeded with cleansing and exfoliating her face, using lukewarm water and a small amount of scrub to remove any makeup from her two dances and dirt from the Invasion. Once the face was cleaned, she carried a large pot of water that has been brought to a boil, which will be used for the steaming procedure. Lulu leaned her face towards the pot—making sure she wasn’t too close—and stayed there for 10-15 minutes to help open up her pores. After that, the facial mask was applied; the robot maid would check for any blackheads and extract them, but that could result in irritating the skin.

Lulu let out a content sigh as she closed her eyes, letting the robot maid place slices of cucumbers onto her closed eyelids to remove bags that were caused by countless restless nights. She was so happy to be back home surrounded by familiar luxuries. She hasn’t felt this clean in months, so she deserved this princess spa treatment.

“Well someone looks comfortable.”

Lulu didn’t turn and move from her spot, but she knew who that voice belonged to. After getting his much-needed haircut, Shay decided to drop by to check in on his sister.

“Hello Shay,” Lulu said. “Are you here for a massage?”

“Of course,” Shay answered. “After all that fighting, I deserve one of Big Bertha’s signature deep tissue back massages.”

“DID SOMEONE CALL FOR ME?”

A robot maid wheeled her way through the spa room and stopped in front of Shay, but she wasn’t your average maid, personal assistant, or butler. She was the spa room’s massager Big Bertha, which was honestly more suitable name for a robot than an egg-protecting container used for a physics project.

“There you are, Big Bertha,” Shay said. “I need one of your deep tissue back massages.”

“VERY WELL, MASTER SHAY,” Big Bertha said. “BUT FIRST, I MUST ASK YOU TO REMOVE ALL OUTER CLOTHING FOR A PROPER MASSAGE.”

Glancing at Lulu, Shay knew she would give him a bit of privacy since he usually was by himself with these massages, but she heard their exchange, so it was completely okay for him to undress. She does have cucumber slices on her eyes as part of her treatment after all. With the seal of approval, he took off his clothes until he was in his boxers like Big Bertha requested.

“THANK YOU, SIR,” Big Bertha said. “NOW IF YOU CAN LAY DOWN RIGHT HERE, I CAN BEGIN THE TREATMENT.”

Shay positioned himself on the provided table used for massages and laid down with his back facing the ceiling. Big Bertha scanned to pinpoint where the pressure has built up during the past several months, with her scanners locating some pain in the middle and lower regions of his back. With all of the running around and fighting he has done during the Interdimensional War, it caused some strained tension around the thoracic and lumbar regions of his spine because he couldn’t catch a break. She stretched out her arms to have her hand align in place with the tense areas so that she could generate enough pressure to penetrate the muscle tissue and release the agitation.

The older heir let out a moan. “Yeah, that’s the spot,” he said.

“MY GOODNESS,” Big Bertha remarked as she continued the massage. “I DETECT LESS BABY FAT ON YOUR BODY. HAVE YOU BEEN WORKING OUT?”

“I didn’t have a choice,” Shay replied. “Working out became my top priority for survival.”

“WELL I CERTAINLY FEEL MORE MUSCLE,” Big Bertha said. “ANY WOMAN WOULD BE LUCKY TO HAVE YOU FOR A HUSBAND.”

Shay chuckled at the comment as she continued massaging his back. He was an heir yet he felt like his parents didn’t mention anything about his marriage plans, mainly because of Lulu’s upcoming marriage with Yuto. He obviously doesn’t have anything against it; he likes the fact that they were getting married soon. His main question was him finding out who he was going to marry since his sister’s marriage was most likely going to end up with her living a middle class life. Well, part of that question was just answered because that means his future wife also has to be someone from a high class environment. He ultimately chose not to focus about his plans for marriage; for now, he should concentrate on getting back to his normal life.

Some time later, Orbital entered the room with Shay’s Duel Disk. “MASTER S-SHAY, DECLAN AKABA WISHES TO SPEAK TO YOU.”

Declan? Why was he calling at a time like this? Was there something important going on? Using one of his arms to take his Duel Disk, Shay unlocked it to answer the call. “Declan?”

“Hello Shay,” Declan said. “Are you free this evening?”

“Not that I know of,” Shay answered. “Why?”

“I was hoping if you could accompany me for dinner,” Declan explained.

“Do you wish to discuss what had occurred with the dimensions fusing back into one?” Shay asked.

“That is an utter importance, but no,” Declan said. “I simply wish to spend some time with you now that a sense of normality has appeared.”

A moderate shade of pink formed on Shay’s cheeks at the realization of what Declan was talking about. Is he trying to figure out his sexuality? Has he been trying to figure it out all this time but never had the chance to do so until now? Is he……gay?

“Are you asking me out on a date?” Shay asked.

“Of course,” Declan bluntly answered. “You are rather handsome and I have had my eyes on you for quite some time.”

There was a slight problem with this: Shay was more into girls than boys. He also doesn’t want to turn down the offer; their first meeting was after he defeated Dipper, Julia, and Kit with his Raidraptor - Rise Falcon, which soon led to him taking part in the Arc League Championship and becoming a Lancer. After finding allies and battling against the Fusion Dimension, it admittedly does make sense for them to spend some time together.

“Very well,” Shay said. “I will accompany you for dinner tonight.”

“Excellent,” Declan said. “I recommend dressing formally.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Shay replied.

Right as the two finished their call, Lulu suppressed a giggle because of how amused she was at what Declan was talking about. “Stop laughing,” Shay said.

“I can’t help it,” Lulu said. “A gay guy asked my straight brother out on a date.”

“I didn’t want to turn down his offer,” Shay said. “Declan Akaba is a nice guy, but I don’t see him that way.”

“And your idol posters would agree,” Lulu added.

“Lulu!” Shay exclaimed.

“What?” Lulu innocently asked. “I remember you having that phase.”

At one point during his early teens, Shay went through a phase where he was a huge fan of K-Pop and had posters some of the female K-Pop idols, with his favorite being 4Minute.

“I grew out of it!” Shay insisted.

“Yeah you did,” Lulu said sarcastically. “I remember hearing you talking in your sleep about wanting to marry the lead singer of 4Minute.”

“Lulu!” Shay exclaimed once more, his face turning red with embarrassment.

“And just about everyone in the Resistance could hear you,” Lulu playfully recalled.

This dates back to something occurring during the Invasion, when the Resistance was nearly done setting up their base of operations. One night, the members were all trying to sleep with what they managed to salvage from all the rubble, specifically pillows and blankets without mattresses. They weren’t the most comfortable beds they slept on, but they had to deal with it for one more night until their main base was completed. As they struggled to find a tolerable position to sleep in, they heard someone muttering something as they slept. From what they could tell, this person wanted to marry Jiyoon, the lead vocalist of 4Minute; as they turned their heads to where the mutters were coming from, they noticed Shay was the one saying all that stuff despite growing out of his K-Pop phase. They all got a good laugh out that discovery that night, which was what they kind of needed after spending so much time trying to survive from the clutches of Duel Academy.

“Lulu!” Shay exclaimed again, causing her to laugh in a very unladylike manner.

“Oh, come on!” Lulu said once she calmed down. “It was funny!”

“Everyone in the Resistance kept on teasing me for weeks,” Shay said.

“But this just proves my point,” Lulu said. “You’re not gay at all, so I can tell how uncomfortable it is for you to go on a date with a gay guy.”

“It is,” Shay agreed. “I-” He let out a loud moan.

“DID I HIT A SWEET SPOT?” Big Bertha asked.

“A little,” Shay squeaked out. “Keep going.”

Big Bertha continued with the massage, making sure to be gentle around the big knot she stumbled upon. Shay then tried again with what he was about to say in regards to him going out with Declan.

“I’m not sure what Declan is actually planning,” Shay said. “I do see him as an equal as both a Duelist and a friend, but not anything more.”

“Then you shouldn’t see it as a date,” Lulu pointed out. “See it as simply hanging out with a friend.”

“I’ll try,” Shay said.

“And you should have fun,” Lulu added. “The war’s over, so you should relax.”

A few minutes later, Big Bertha completed her programmed deep tissue back massage and it was right in the nick of time because a robot maid has brought out Shay’s favorite outfit as he requested: a dark gray shirt, a long-sleeved, light gray button-up shirt, dark jeans, and a pair of casual sneakers. As for Lulu, she was finished with her facial and princess spa treatment. She went into a smaller room to get changed into a sleeveless, light blue dress with a pattern of red, pink, and white roses on it and some white flats. She has missed styling her long hair and wanted to try out something different than her usual pinned-up, bow-shaped style.

After brushing her hair, Lulu clapped her hands twice, prompting Lillybot to approach her. “YES, MISTRESS LULU?”

“Can you provide me with any long hairstyle recommendations?” Lulu asked.

“CERTAINLY, MY MISTRESS,” Lillybot replied.

Lillybot displayed a holographic-projected screen and scrolled through a list of images of various long hairstyles that she has saved into her program. Some time later, Lulu found a hairstyle that caught her eye: a bun-ponytail combo. “Wow,” she remarked. “Lillybot, I choose that hairstyle.”

Lillybot stopped scrolling and clicked on the image of a woman facing away from the camera to reveal her blonde hair was tied in a bun-ponytail. It was clear the length of the hair in the image was shorter than Lulu’s because it went past her shoulders, so that would mean the latter’s would stop approximately below her breasts or somewhere within that vicinity.

“SHALL I PROVIDE AN EXTRA MIRROR FOR YOU TO SEE?” Lillybot asked.

“Of course,” Lulu answered, wanting to copy the hairstyle herself.

Lillybot left the room to get Lulu a second mirror for her. At the same time, Shay had gotten dressed in his pre-Invasion attire. He looked at his reflection, happy with the results. It was as if the Invasion had never occurred. His perfect image was successfully restored. Through the mirror, he saw Lillybot wheeling by him with an extra one in her robotic hand and making her way back to spa’s smaller room.

“HERE YOU GO, MISTRESS LULU,” Lillybot said, holding up the mirror to the back of the heiress’ head.

“Thanks Lillybot,” Lulu said.

The saved image of the bun-ponytail projected itself for her to use as reference as she began to tie a portion of her hair into a ponytail and rolled it up into a bun with a hair clip designed specifically for buns. She then took the rest of her hair and tied it into another ponytail before securing it next to the bun and clipping both hairstyles in place, finalizing the ponytail bun.

“YOU LOOK AMAZING,” Lillybot said.

“I know,” Lulu replied as she smiled at her reflection. Her perfect image was fully restored. She and Lillybot exited the smaller room to meet up with Shay near the spa room’s doorway.

“You look beautiful this fine afternoon, Lady Obsidian,” Shay said with a slight bow.

“And you look rather handsome, Lord Obsidian,” Lulu replied with a curtesy.

The Obsidian siblings may be live in an elite society, but they do have moments where they joke around with each other like most siblings do. Despite the recent teasing about his K-Pop phase, it felt like forever since the last time they bonded as brother and sister.

“Shall we go see what mother and father have in store to celebrate our restored lives?” Shay asked.

“We shall, dearest brother,” Lulu answered.

The two left the spa room to find where their parents were. From what they heard, the two were most likely showering and getting changed into cleaner clothes, so would that mean they were in their bedroom? If so, then they may need some time to freshen themselves up. If not, they are bound to be somewhere else in the house. They didn’t have to search for long because Orbital approached them.

“MASTER S-SHAY, MISTRESS L-LULU,” Orbital instructed. “YOUR PARENTS WANTED ME TO ESCORT YOU TO THE BILLIARD ROOM.”

The billiard room was—as the name suggests—where the family played pool, but more importantly, they typically hold family meetings there. With chairs circling each other near a fireplace and a bar counter stocked with drinks in case they get thirsty, it was the ideal place for them to meet and discuss issues and certain topics.

“A family meeting?” Lulu asked. “We haven’t had one since mother and father told us they adjusted my wedding plans so I would marry Yuto instead of Reginald.”

“I know,” Shay agreed. “I wonder what they want to tell us.”

They ended up following Orbital down the halls and arriving at the billiard room where they saw Kameron and Astra sitting on two of the chairs near the fireplace. Shay and Lulu sat down on the remaining two chairs near the fireplace.

“Hello children,” Astra said. “I see you have both restored your perfect images.”

“We have,” Shay said. “So what is it you wish to tell us?”

“First of all, we have some news to reveal,” Kameron said. “Shay, when you were born, we set up an arranged marriage with the Papillions.”

“I heard of them,” Shay said. “The Papillions are in charge of the biggest supermarket company in Heartland.”

“Correct,” Astra said. “You are set to marry their only daughter, Dextra Papillion.”

Shay didn’t mind about the arranged marriage at all; in fact, he was completely okay with it. With Lulu set to marry Yuto instead of Reginald in the future, they needed an heiress for the Obsidian family name.

“I understand,” Shay said. “Since I will carry the Obsidian name, I’m aware that this marriage is so the name can continue for future generations.”

“Of course,” Lulu said. “Yuto and I both agreed I would take his last name when we get married.”

“Which brings us to that upcoming wedding,” Kameron said.

“Sweetie, we have seen how great of a boy Yuto is, but it’s still not enough,” Astra said. “As soon as he moves in, he will be tasked with lessons to help develop his perfect image.”

“But I heard the interview was a success,” Lulu said.

“True, but he does not have the right look,” Kameron said.

“You see Lulu, Yuto arrived at ObsidianCorp with a semi-formal outfit and what appeared to be a lot of hair gel,” Astra recalled. “He clearly has no idea how to properly dress for a business or formal environment.”

He succeeded in pleasing her and her husband personality-wise, but his attire was another story. He has no experience of what to expect when working in a high class society considering he was born a middle class resident. In short, his first impression didn’t work out per se yet it wasn’t a complete failure. They may have a plan for him to help gain enough knowledge about business, formal, and elite social atmospheres.

“But mother, I can assure you that Yuto is comfortable wearing suits,” Lulu said.

“And yet he did not wear one for the job interview,” Astra pointed out.

“Because one of his suits was ruined from the Invasion and he already wore his other suit for the LID dance,” Shay explained, taking out his Duel Disk to show his parents the dueling club group photo taken during the dance.

In the photo, Kameron and Astra saw the LID dance group photo of the Heartland Duel School dueling club and noticed Yuto wearing the black suit Yuya and Yusho got for him. Needless to say, they were impressed.

“Incredible,” Kameron said. “Despite being born a commoner, he looks exactly like a sharp businessman.”

“I know,” Astra agreed. “And his hair is spiky, but it looks coiffed and well-brushed.”

“Not to mention his perfect posture,” Kameron said. He returned the Duel Disk to Shay. “How could a commoner like him already know how to dress formally?”

“I might have helped,” Shay answered. “When he took an interest in dueling, I told him to imagine himself as being brave and noble like the Phantom Knights.”

“That would explain why he prefers dueling with those cards,” Astra noted.

She wasn’t wrong, but when Shay gave Yuto that advice, it helped change his personality and appearance into something more gentlemanly. He had inadvertently shaped his friend into what he is today.

“But that doesn’t change his background,” Kameron pointed out. “Yuto Osaku is still a commoner. If he wishes to be a part of this family, he needs to learn how to act like a true upperclassman.”

This was where their plan comes to play. They wish to have Yuto live with them in order for him to understand upperclassman life and utilize those skills when he sets off on his own path for the future, preferably when he graduates from Heartland Duel School.

“Of course,” Lulu said. “I understand, father.”

“Thank you for understanding, Lulu,” Kameron said. “Besides, Yuto appears to already be a proper gentleman with utter grace. I’m sure he will fit in with ease.”


	3. Roller Rink Bonding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to the Sakakis, Yuto experiences his first time at a roller rink. However, roller skating isn't as easy as it looks...

Yuto struggled to maintain his balance, nearly falling onto the floor as he tried to make some movement and eventually heading his way towards the railing for support. Out of all the activities he has done with his mom, this was definitely something he has never done this before. He looked down at his feet, which were wearing roller skates and then directed his head to where the other people were. A lot of them were moving at a stable—and even swift—pace all around the rink while also making sure to not lose their balance. Even Yuya has easily gotten the hang of skating thanks to Alex, yet unlike the loaned Duel Skates, he was able to control when to stop since there weren’t any duels involved. The eggplant-haired teen was good at dueling, being a knightly gentleman, maintaining a nice appearance, memorizing Lono’s lasagna recipe and her other homemade meals, and keeping a rather strong body figure, but roller skating definitely wasn’t one of them.

“Come on, Yuto!” Yuya encouraged. “It’s easy!”

“Easy for you to say!” Yuto pointed out, stumbling once more before falling onto the floor.

Sora, on the other hand, was skating with ease. “This is easy!” he exclaimed. “I had to memorize too many dances for Duel Academy’s galas, so I’m already quick on my feet!” He showed no hesitation with his skating skills as he zipped by Yuto, much to the eggplant-haired teen’s annoyed disappointment.

“Do you need help?” Yoko called out, already skating with Yusho.

“N-No, I’m fine,” Yuto lied, wiping a forming tear away from his eye. Why did Yoko have to remind him so much of Lono?

“Doesn’t look like it,” Yuya said. He proceeded to grab his cousin’s hands and pull him back up on his feet.

“What are you doing?” Yuto asked.

“I’m teaching you how to roller skate!” Yuya cheerfully answered. “So just relax and follow my lead!”

Holding his cousin’s hand, Yuya started his tutorial off by going at a steady pace, making sure to go slow but not too fast so that they can at least sustain their balance. Some time later, Yuto noticed Yuya was humming a song, spiking his curiosity.

“Are you…humming?” Yuto asked.

“Yeah,” Yuya answered. “Mom told me the easiest way to skate is by moving to the beat of Pinball Wizard.”

Yuto was baffled. “Pinball Wizard…?”

“You’ve never heard of that song?” Yuya asked.

“No,” Yuto admitted.

“It kinda goes something like this,” Yuya explained. He started singing. “Ever since I was a young boy I’ve played the silver ball. From Soho down to Brighton, I must have played them all. But I ain’t seen nothing like him in any amusement hall. That deaf dumb and blind kid sure plays a mean pinball!”

Yuya continued humming and singing as he and Yuto skated to the beat of The Who’s 1969 single. But Yuto was more focused on the song’s lyrics than skating.

“I don’t get it,” the Phantom Knights user said. “It’s impossible for someone to play pinball if they can’t see and hear.”

“Technically Tommy isn’t really blind and deaf,” Yuya explained. “He witnessed his birth father kill the man who raised him, causing his mom to tell him he didn’t see or hear that.”

That didn’t help Yuto. “Tommy…?”

“It’s the name of the Pinball Wizard,” Yuya clarified.

Are there more songs about this Tommy person? Why exactly did his biological father kill his adopted one? Did his mother tell him he didn’t see or hear that murder to make sure he wouldn’t be traumatized by it? Yuto always knew songs have a meaning to them, but he never figured they can create a story that share a common lore to them. He might have to do some research to learn more about Tommy and what songs The Who did about him.

“That’s it!” Yuya suddenly exclaimed.

“What’s it?” Yuto asked.

“You’re skating!” Yuya explained

Yuto looked around at his surroundings to see how he was moving fluidly across the rink. He then glanced down at his feet to see they have gotten the hang of skating. He was surprised with how well he was going.

“I… I’m doing it,” Yuto said. He started smiling wide and laughing. “I’m actually skating!”

He accelerated in front of Yuya and dashed by Yoko, Yusho, and Sora as he basked in the glory of roller skating for the first time. He usually doesn’t act like this, but it feels too long since he last had a chance to do some family bonding. Seeing how the Sakakis are also part of his family, he wanted to make this moment count.

“Yuto, slow down!” Yoko called out. “I don’t want you to get hurt!”

_“I don’t want you to get hurt, sweetie!”_

Yuto’s eyes widened in alarm. “Mom?” he asked aloud.

The words Yoko said. He heard them before. As quickly as she spoke them, he found himself back into the past when he was younger. He still had short hair with his light purple bangs covering his eyes and wore baggy clothes at that time when his only friends were Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon and his mom. It was prior to meeting Shay when he was the only person in Heartland who stood out like a sore thumb because he wasn’t the kind of person who wasn’t as bright, cheery, and colorful as everyone else.

From what he could tell from the triggered flashback, he was at his home street, learning how to ride a bike.

“Yuto, are you sure you want to do this?” Lono asked.

“Y-Yes, mom,” Yuto shyly muttered.

“Alright,” Lono said reassuringly. “Let me know when I can let go.”

The two headed down the sidewalk at a slow but secure pace as Yuto pedaled the bike. His eyes widened behind his bangs. “I’m doing it!” he exclaimed. “I’m actually doing it!”

He gradually picked up the speed of his bike and grew more excited as seconds went by, leading up to the point where he said Lono could let go. For his first time riding a bike, he couldn’t believe how well he was doing.

“Just don’t go too fast!” Lono called out. “I don’t want you to get hurt, sweetie!”

Distracted by him remembering that day, Yuto nearly ran into the wall of the skating rink, with Yuya catching him—and hitting the wall—just in time. “What happened?” Yuya asked.

“Sorry,” Yuto said. “I…got distracted.”

Sora let out a laugh as he skated by. “You, distracted?” he asked. “You weren’t distracted when Obelisk Force attacked!”

What he’s saying was Yuto never gets sidetracked that easily…unless Lulu is involved. What was he even thinking about that almost got him skating towards the wall?

“Your mom said something that reminded me of my mom,” Yuto told Yuya. “Then I thought about the time she taught me how to ride a bike.”

“Stop talking like that,” Yuya said. “My mom is also your aunt.”

“I know…” Yuto said. “But it still feels weird.” He still can’t get over the fact that Yoko reminds him of Lono because they were sisters.

“Come on, Yoot,” Yuya encouraged. “Embrace the familial connection. Your last name is Osaku, but you’re still a Sakaki.”

Yuto raised an eyebrow. “Yoot?” he repeated.

“Yeah, it’s the same nickname Yugo calls you,” Yuya explained.

“I know,” Yuto recalled. “But you don’t have to call me that.” He may have stayed with his cousin, but that was when his soul was fused with their counterparts and they didn’t knew they were related all this time. It was obvious that it may take a while for him to warm up to this recent discovery.

“But we’re family,” Yuya emphasized. “Relatives give each other fun nicknames.”

“You got that right, tomato head,” Sora agreed as he skated by.

This was a clear example of familial nicknames: Sora calling Yuya “tomato head” for obvious reasons up to the point where it doesn’t even deserve an explanation. Yuto honestly never thought about giving or being given nicknames in a familial manner; he was more used to those in friendships and relationships. Then again, he did grew up as an only child for most of his life. So maybe he could give this nickname thing a try.

“Okay…odd-eyes,” Yuto said, noticing Yuya’s new dual eye colors.

The first thing Yuya thought about was his ace monster, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. It actually makes sense on why he would be given that nickname because he was one of the first Pendulum monsters that made him into the pioneer of Pendulum Summoning.

“Now you’re gettin’ the hang of it!” Yuya replied, playfully punching Yuto on the shoulder.

Yuto rubbed his arm before getting back to skating with his family. He made sure he was at a close distance to where Yuya was because he wanted to spend some bonding time with him; although the stuff he demonstrated was typically something siblings would do, they weren’t strictly just for siblings. Since Yuto didn’t have any brothers or sisters growing up, hanging out with his own cousin was the next best thing.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” Yuya said as the two cousins skated. “What do you see in Lulu?”

“Hmm?” Yuto questioned.

“You heard me,” Yuya said. “Since she and Zuzu are technically the same person, I must know why you ended up falling for her.”

“Because she’s an angel combined with a princess,” Yuto answered, smiling softly. “When I’m with her, it feels as if my other half.”

“But I’m your other half aside from Yugo and Yuri,” Yuya pointed out.

“Not like that,” Yuto explained. “According to Greek mythology, humans were originally created with four arms, four legs, and a head with two faces. Fearing their power, Zeus split them into two separate parts, condemning them to spend their lives in search of their other halves.”

Yuya snorted a laugh at that. “Except that didn’t happen to us,” he pointed out.

“But when I met Lulu, I felt complete,” Yuto explained. “I was initially captivated by her beauty, but as we spent more time together, I felt a natural connection with her. Don’t you feel that with Zuzu?”

“Sort of,” Yuya answered. “But it’s not like she’s my girlfriend. She can be nice, but there’s usually nothing sweet about her.”

“What about when your fingertips faintly touch hers?” Yuto asked. “Or when she runs a hand through your hair? Don’t you feel anything when you’re with her?”

“She doesn’t touch my hair,” Yuya recalled. “Well she hasn’t done that in the past, but now…”

He wasn’t sure how to say it exactly, but Yuto knew what he meant: Zuzu has been touching his hair lately. But it wasn’t casual touches. She gently caressed it with the occasional murmurs of ‘you’re still Yuya’.

“She has been touching your hair lately?” Yuto asked.

“Yeah,” Yuya answered. “A lot.”

This was somewhat peculiar, not because of when she has started touching and stroking, but why she has been doing it. There was something about that phrase that got Yuto thinking. “You’re still Yuya…” Was it due to him and his counterparts becoming Zarc? No…but it definitely had something to do with him… Was it because of him Awakening? Most likely; after all, it was caused by Zarc’s will to reunite his reincarnations as one…and made Yuya’s hair stand up more, occasionally making it bear a resemblance to Zarc’s hairstyle.

“Do you think it might have to do with what Zarc tried to do with us?” Yuto asked.

“The whole berserk thing?” Yuya asked in response. He briefly ruffled his own hair. “I guess… I think that caused my hair to spike up.”

He figured it may have something to do with that. Looking back at the first few times he Awakened, it does show why Zuzu would say something like that. His hair sticking up reminded them of Zarc and the Yu-Salad absorbing each other and reviving their incarnation was traumatizing.

Yuto suddenly smirked. “But at least my hair is better,” he said.

“Yuto!” Yuya exclaimed.

“It’s true,” Yuto said as he skated circles around Yuya. He brushed his bangs back. “Lulu can’t get enough of it.”

Yuya made a slight pouting face at Yuto’s boastful remark. Since when did it become a contest to see who has the best haircut?

“You’re wrong!” Yuya replied. “My hair is clearly better than yours! Why else would Aura fall for my devilish charm?”

“I beg to differ,” Yuto said. “My hair is much softer than yours. Lulu even thinks it was because of an angel’s blessing.”

“But mine doesn’t stand out as much,” Yuya added.

“Mine actually has a more natural coloring,” Yuto remarked.

“Tell that to your purple bangs!” Yuya pointed out.

“You’re both wrong!” Sora chimed in as he skated by. “Yuri has the best hair!”

That was something Yuto and Yuya can agree on: their Fusion counterpart clearly doesn’t have the best hair. Who on Earth would be insane enough to even fall for a cabbage-haired Predaplant user like Yuri?

“So… About Yugo…” Yuya realized.

“Probably,” Yuto admitted. “Rin seems to like that stray lock of hair near his right cheek.”

“But when was the last time he washed it?” Yuya asked.

“Probably never,” Yuto answered. “Which means I still have the softest hair.”

“But doesn’t your head feel heavy?” Yuya asked. “'Cause it looks like you have too much hair.”

This sentence slightly caught Yuto off guard, mainly due to the fact that his hair was the thickest out of all of his counterparts. “I don’t have too much hair,” he clarified. “It’s thicker.”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” Yuya said.

He skated forward to try and touch Yuto’s eggplant-shaped hair to see if it was thicker or not. As he leaned towards him and extended his arm out, the latter attempted to push him away a little because he needed some personal space, but that only increased their chances of them losing their balance and it quickly became a 100% probability rate as the two stumbled and fell onto the floor of the rink. With his cousin recovering from the fall, Yuya took advantage of it and placed his hand on the black locks.

“Yep!” Yuya said, touching his own hair with his other hand. “It definitely feels thicker.”

Yuto sat up on the floor right as Yuya stopped touching their hair and Sora zipped by them yet again, but this time, it was to see if they were alright. At least the tomato-haired teen was now convinced that Yuto’s hair wasn’t as heavy as he initially thought.

“Are you two done goofing off?” Sora asked. “Mr. and Mrs. Sakaki said they’ll take us out for pizza.”

Yuya’s eyes lit up with glee whereas Yuto was more amazed to hear what Sora mentioned. After all that rambling about hair, pizza for lunch sounded delicious right about now.

“Pizza?” Yuya happily asked. He got back on his feet. “I’m in!”

“Me too,” Yuto replied, also getting back up.

“But I’m serious,” Sora said. “Compared to you two, Yuri has the best hair.”

“Why would you say that?” Yuya asked as Yuto chuckled in disagreement.

“Have you seen those perfectly-coiffed purple and pink locks?” Sora asked in response. “Yuri is clearly the more sophisticated counterpart.”

“You’re wrong,” Yuto said. “Lulu grew up in a wealthy environment. If anything, she’s more sophisticated than Yuri.”

“Oh, so we’re getting the girls in on it?” Yuya asked.

“Why not?” Yuto asked in response. “Her hair is absolutely gorgeous.”

The three boys continued talking about all eight counterparts’ hair as they skated to where Yoko and Yusho were so that they can put on their normal shoes and head over to the pizzeria for lunch. Yuto never would have imagined finding himself bonding with his extended family, especially his two cousins, one of which happened to be his own counterpart. He also couldn’t believe how a simple song could help him overcome his inability to roller skate and lead him into a debate about hairstyles. All in all, he was glad he discovered his relations with his extended family because he was welcomed with open arms thanks to Yuya. He may have been born an Osaku, but he was really glad to be a Sakaki.


	4. Shay's First Date (Jitters)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shay goes on his sort-of date with Declan, which ends up being a bit better than he expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first time writing a bit of HostageShipping. I hope you like it.

Later that night, back at the Obsidian household, Shay was in the tailor room, trying to figure out what to wear for his date with Declan. He had to look nice for their dinner this evening, but he wasn’t sure whether he should wear a suit or a different set of formal attire.

“DO YOU NEED HELP, MASTER SHAY?” a robot maid asked.

“Sort of,” Shay answered. “Declan Akaba invited me out to dinner this evening and he said I should wear something formal.”

“IS THIS A DATE?” the robot maid asked.

“Kind of…” Shay admitted. “But I see it as spending time with a fellow Duelist and a good friend.”

“MY GOODNESS, IT IS A DATE,” the robot maid said. “I HAVE JUST THE THING FOR YOU TO WEAR.”

She dashed off to the tailor room’s closet where all of the Obsidians’ premade outfits were nicely stored and organized in preparation for any surprise special occasions. She skimmed through Shay’s collection before spotting what she was looking for and took it out of the closet. His first date outfit consisted of a long-sleeved, button-up, white shirt underneath a black vest and a black suit jacket, black pants with a black belt, and a pair of black shoes.

“Not bad,” Shay remarked. “This looks pretty snazzy.”

“I MADE THIS IN CASE OF A DATING EMERGENCY,” the robot maid informed. “YOU DID SEEM NERVOUS.”

“I’m not nervous,” Shay lied.

“BUT IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, DECLAN AKABA IS NOT A WOMAN,” the robot maid said. “YET YOU ARE STILL FOND OF WOMEN.”

That was the problem. Shay was straight yet he didn’t want to turn down the offer. He was given the advice to think of this date as spending some time with a friend and that’s exactly what Declan is to him: a friend. Even if he does feel nervous and uncomfortable about it, there was no way he was going to say “no” to hanging out with someone platonically close to him.

“DO NOT FEEL NERVOUS,” the robot maid advised, giving the outfit to Shay. “THE AKABAS ARE JUST AS WEALTHY AS THE OBSIDIANS. I AM CERTAIN THE DINNER DATE IS ABSOLUTELY LOVELY.”

Shay stared at his given outfit as he thought about how well the dinner will turn out. He wasn’t sure what restaurant he’ll be going to, but maybe as long as he takes Lulu’s advice, he might have a good time. Trying his hardest to not let his nerves get the best of him, he walked over to the fitting room to get changed into his suit.

Some time later, Lulu entered the tailor room holding a light blue sundress. “Can you make some adjustments to this?” she asked the robot maid. “It feels a bit tight around my chest.”

“CERTAINLY, MISTRESS LULU,” the robot maid replied.

Lulu handed her sundress to the robot maid to help fix the chest area. Right as she was about to head over to the sewing section, Shay came out of the dressing room, wearing the suit that was saved for tonight.

The heiress let out a whistle. “You look pretty sharp,” she remarked.

“It’s for tonight,” Shay explained. He still looked a bit nervous.

“Don’t worry about it,” Lulu reassured. “As long as you treat this date like a friendly get-together with Declan, you should be fine.”

“I hope so,” Shay said.

Several minutes later, Kameron drove on the streets connecting the Heartland and Paradise sections of the Original Dimension’s city. He was taking his son to the restaurant where the dinner date was going to be, as seen by the GPS function from the Duel Disk’s maps app currently giving out direction on how to get there. Declan had informed Shay on what restaurant they were going to shortly before they left, so knowing where they’ll be eating at was pretty helpful.

Kameron noticed his son was rather quiet. “Are you feeling alright?” he asked.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you and mother about this,” Shay said. “I knew you were looking forward to me marrying Dextra Papillion. I really want to marry her, but-”

“It’s alright, son,” Kameron said. “I heard about how Declan Akaba helped you out when Lulu was kidnapped. He’s a kind man and I know you see him as a good friend.”

“So you don’t mind this…date?” Shay asked.

“Of course not,” Kameron answered. “I know you’re only attracted to women, so this date isn’t a concern.”

Shay smiled at his father’s response, knowing how he was looking forward to marrying Dextra and his worry about different sexualities. “Thank you for understanding, father,” the heir said.

“You’re welcome,” Kameron replied. “Just remember to maintain your perfect image throughout the evening.”

“Of course,” Shay said.

With his father’s opinion on tonight, Shay felt his nervousness start to ease a little. Maybe Kameron and Lulu were right; maybe he should try to view this as a friendly get-together since his arranged marriage won’t be affected by it at all. There was a slight issue with this, however: he has never been on a date before and he doesn’t have any experiences with them to be able to pull this off. Whenever he thinks he has an issue tackled, another one happens to pop up. Man, he felt like this was generally not his day.

After going through the roads, streets, and intersections, they made it at the restaurant and Shay was dropped off in front of the doorways.

“Hello Shay,” Declan said, waiting for the Obsidian heir near the doorways. “You look rather handsome this evening.”

Shay noticed his “date” had also dressed up nicely for the night by the simple navy blue suit he was wearing. “So you finally ditched that scarf of yours,” he remarked.

“I’m flattered by your humor,” Declan replied, a slight smile appearing on his face. “Now shall we enjoy this evening?”

“Sure,” Shay answered.

The two walked into the restaurant to have them be seated at a table. It appeared it was starting to get busy yet there wasn’t that much of a wait, so they were able to get themselves situated at a table that was in between the entrance and the doorway leading to the outdoor tables.

“A moonlit dinner?” Shay asked. “Isn’t this a bit of a cliché?”

“I certainly don’t think so,” Declan answered. “It is a rather clear night and the moon is bright enough to provide natural lighting.”

He was right; there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky. The lunar luminescence casted its rays down on the city as the stars twinkled and sparkled in the midnight blue sky. If anything, it was one of the most beautiful clear nights they have ever seen.

“So why me?” Shay asked.

“Hmm?” Declan questioned.

“There are a lot of other guys in the city,” Shay elaborated. “Why did you invite me to have dinner with you?”

“Because there was something about you that captivated me,” Declan explained. “Maybe it was your deck, or your dueling strategies, or maybe it was your perfectly-coiffed hair. Regardless of why, you simply fascinated me as an individual.”

Remembering the advice his father and sister gave him, Shay thanked Declan for the compliment. He does have a strong archetype, a powerful strategy, and even a nicely-combed hairstyle.

Declan picked up the provided menu. “So what would you like to have?” he asked.

Shay looked at his menu. “The lobster salad looks delicious,” he remarked, knowing he hasn’t ate lobster in a long time.

“Lobster?” Declan asked. “Why that?”

“I remember having it for dinner with my family before the Invasion,” Shay recalled. “The robot maids always cooked it just right.”

“So you really do have robot maids,” Declan said.

“Of course,” Shay replied. “Because of mother and father’s successful business, we have robot maids taking care of the cooking, cleaning, and helping us maintain our perfect images.”

“My parents never purchased any robotic servants,” Declan said. “They hired actual people to help us at Leo Corporation.”

“You’re not worried about someone getting ill or quitting due to personal reasons?” Shay asked.

Declan responded on how that was the least of his concerns, especially regarding how he and the staff were preparing to go up against Duel Academy by studying and conjuring up Pendulum cards, hosting the Arc League Championship, and forming the Lancers. He could tell his date was more used to not having to deal with those risks at all.

“Besides, what if a robotic servant malfunctions?” Declan asked.

“Mother and father taught Lulu and I about basic mechanics in case of those emergencies,” Shay answered. “Sometimes we even use that same knowledge to program new protocols into their databanks, whether it’s a reminder to not mention an upcoming wedding or get away with unnecessary grooming.”

Declan was confused by that last statement. “Unnecessary grooming?” he repeated.

Shay blushed slightly. “When I was younger, I hated being born into an elite environment,” he explained. “I wanted to hang out with commoner kids and not worry about how I looked.”

“You aren’t like that now,” Declan pointed out.

“Only because I grew out of that childish behavior when I got older,” Shay continued. “Nowadays I appreciate my wealthy background.”

If Declan was going to be honest, Shay had it easy. When he was younger, Leo left to become the head of Duel Academy to pursue his mission to fuse all four dimensions back and bring back Ray. This forced his son to become the new CEO at around 13 years old and seek assistance from Yusho, leading to his disappearance when he was scheduled to duel against the Sledgehammer.

“You are rather fortunate, Shay Obsidian,” Declan said. “You spent your whole life living a luxurious life with your parents and sister.”

“I know,” Shay said. “But it wasn’t always easy. I grew up with the constant knowledge that I would eventually take over the family company. I do love mother and father, but they pressured me to always looking my absolute best.”

“That would explain your rather aggressive behavior during the Interdimensional War,” Declan noted.

Shay looked a bit tensed. “I lost everything when Duel Academy attacked,” he said, sounding more sad and less angry. “Mother and father were carded, our home was reduced to rubble, and ObsidianCorp was destroyed.” He was unaware of a stray tear coming from his eye. “It was a miracle everything was fully restored today.”

Unbeknownst to Shay, Declan spotted the tear taking shape on his eye. He reached over to the heir and gently wiped the tear away.

Shay was surprised by the sudden contact. “What was that for?” he asked.

“You seem upset about the Invasion,” Declan commented. “I am terribly sorry it happened to you.” His hand shifted to Shay’s cheek. “I’m aware that recovering won’t be easy, but you cannot let it interfere with your bright future.”

Shay simply stared into Declan’s purple eyes as he heard the remark being made. For someone who rarely shows emotion, his face was illustrating noticeable hints of sympathy.

“Thank you,” Shay said.

“You are quite welcome,” Declan replied, releasing his gentle touch on Shay. “Now we should order our meals for the evening.”

Shortly after their discussion ended, their waitress came out to take down their orders. “What would you both like to have this evening?” she asked.

“I’ll have a lobster salad,” Shay said.

Declan checked the menu for a few seconds. “The ramen soup looks delicious,” he decided.

“Alright,” the waitress said. “Your food will be out shortly.”

The waitress headed to the kitchen to place their orders and have the chefs cook their meals. As she did so, Shay and Declan waited for their dinners and ended up talking about another topic, one that was far different than the Invasion and the Interdimensional War.

“Have you ever looked at someone and get a sudden feeling as if you met that person before?” Declan asked.

“It depends on the person,” Shay answered.

“Yuya Sakaki,” Declan clarified. “From the moment I laid my eyes on him, I felt…drawn to him. Kind of like he was a missing piece in my life.”

“How could that be possible?” Shay asked.

“I’m not quite sure,” Declan admitted. “But there was a cheerful spark in his eyes. I could have sworn I saw someone with a similar spark long ago.”

He wasn’t sure where he’s seen him before, but it was probably back before Action Duels were announced. He remembered heading somewhere for something important when his eyes caught a glimpse on someone. This particular person seem more…introverted than usual, almost like an incident should have occurred and changed his life for the better, but this spark still remained. Within the shy and timid nature lied the energy of a happy, caring, selfless, friendly individual, as heard by the tone of his voice; one—or many people—may say that he usually comes off as adorable.

Years have passed since the dimensional split and his encounter with Yuya made him realize he had that similar spark, one that was energetic, theatrical, fun-loving, entertaining, and loves to make people smile. It often left him in deep thought when he was alone—whenever he wasn’t focused on the War—about how someone like him could possess such comparable qualities. It wasn’t until earlier today when he went to Duel Academy to see if he could help out with the blood separation right as ARC-V was beginning to overload. He recalled about seeing a Slifer Red girl following him to where Leo, Zarc, and Ray were, who was revealed to be Tea from a voice which sounded remotely somewhat familiar. A slight shift of his purple eyes left them locked on the same person he had spotted years ago. The spiky, tri-colored hair, the fair skin, the grown but still short body figure, but most importantly, his glazed, amethyst purple eyes. He had changed so much, and from the looks of things, it was due to Zarc’s onslaught. Despite what he went through, the spark was still there. The same spark that he felt from a single glance during when he felt like he wasn’t Declan Akaba.

Wait, _wasn’t_ Declan Akaba?

The grey-haired teen tensed up a bit. “Are you alright?” Shay asked, sounding concerned.

“I’m afraid not,” Declan said. “Sometimes I have these memories that must have belonged to someone who is very similar to me, but isn’t me at all.”

“What do you mean by that?” Shay asked.

“Even I cannot answer that question,” Declan admitted. “But-” His eyes widened in realization.

_“Who am I?”_

_“You are…uh… Deck…lan. Yes, Declan. You are Declan Akaba, my beloved son.”_

Declan always felt like Leo wasn’t the best at coming up with creative names, but he didn’t mind the name that he was given. In fact, it was his earliest memory. Now that he thought about it, he did remember seeing his father looking at a deck of Duel Monsters cards and use that to give him his name, but why? Why was he _really_ given the name “Declan” in the first place?

“Here are your meals,” the waitress said. “Enjoy.”

Declan snapped out of his thoughts as he noticed his ramen soup and Shay’s lobster salad have been served to them. As soon as Shay ate a forkful of his salad, he let out a happy moan.

“Enjoying you dinner?” Declan asked.

Shay swallowed the food in his mouth. “I forgot how delicious lobster is,” he said. “I miss the comforts of luxury.”

“I can tell,” Declan said. “You even look much cleaner than when I saw you this morning.”

“My family and I spent the day restoring our perfect images,” Shay explained. “I had my hair trimmed and I got a back massage.”

“Really,” Declan said. “I didn’t even notice.” Even though Shay was a lot cleaner, he still pretty much looks the same as he did on the night of the Invasion.

“I know I still look the same, but I really have cleaned up,” Shay said. “I even received a deep tissue back mass-”

He noticed Declan was reaching up to feel his hair to see if it was cleaner, prompting him to grab his wrist. It was a natural instinct of him to do whatever it takes to preserve his perfect image; it was most likely the reason why he was sent to solitary confinement at the Facility back in the Synchro Dimension because there was no way Sector Security was going to give him a criminal mark on his face.

“My goodness,” Declan said. “Are all Obsidians that obsessed with their perfect images?”

Shay sheepishly let go of Declan’s wrist. “I don’t like it when other people touch me,” he admitted. “Mother and father raised Lulu and I with the mindset of making sure no one would muss up how we look.”

Declan sipped on a spoonful of his ramen soup before speaking. “How peculiar,” he remarked. “Even your sister?”

“She has a good reason why,” Shay explained. “When she was younger, she wanted to have long hair similar to the ones movie actresses have. With mother’s permission, she learned how to properly maintain long hair.” He ate a forkful of his lobster salad after speaking.

“That would explain why she would still have long hair after Duel Academy’s attack,” Declan said. “With any other girl, all that hair would have been long gone after such an event.”

“That’s Lulu for you," Shay said. "She’s probably the most stubborn girl on the planet.”

He wasn’t wrong; her stubbornness was one of her most defining traits and they have Ray to thank for that. Lulu was stubborn about a lot of things: wanting to have long hair, willing to help out the Resistance despite a serious spinal injury, tackling Yuri head-on in a duel, actively fighting back a brainwashing insect to save her brother, and even her boyfriend preferences. Maybe Ray herself was just as stubborn prior to the dimensional split.

Several minutes later, the two had finished their dinner. Shay’s plate was clear without any traces of lobster or salad remaining while Declan ate all of the noodles and deciding if he should have the rest of the broth; it did taste scrumptious.

“Thank you for inviting me out,” Shay said, reaching into his jacket pocket for his wallet. “How much was the lobster salad?”

“No need,” Declan said. “I will pay for both of our meals.”

Declan took out his own wallet just as the waitress came out with the bill and handed it to him. After checking what the total price was, he pulled out his debit card and brought them to her to pay for dinner. This was a dating tip Shay learned; people who set up dates are the ones who pay for all their meals. Deep down, he had almost forgot this was a date, much to his dismay.

Declan noticed Shay’s slightly uncomfortable expression. “Are you feeling alright?” the grey-haired teen asked.

“Is this really a date?” Shay asked in response.

“Of course,” Declan answered without a second thought. “Like I said, you’re quite handsome and I have had my eyes on you for a while. Why do you ask?”

“I wanted to make sure,” Shay lied, not wanting to hurt his friend’s feelings.

He knew it. He knew this was a date and it is becoming clearer that Declan is gay. He had a feeling about it ever since the phone call and the latter’s compliments on his handsome appearance and his well-kept hair were a dead giveaway. Despite being uncomfortable about it, Shay still kept Kameron and Lulu’s advice about this being a friendly get-together instead of an actual date.

“Tell me, Shay,” Declan said. “Have you ever attended a fireworks show?”

“A lot,” Shay answered. “I attended numerous Heartland festivals with my family, so fireworks were always involved.”

“But have you seen a Paradise City fireworks show?” Declan asked. “Because there is going to be one tonight to celebrate the restored Original Dimension.”

Shay raised his eyebrows in surprised intrigue, indicating that he has never seen a fireworks show in Paradise City even though he has been there multiple times. How did Declan even found out about this?

“How do you know about that?” Shay asked.

“Because I was hoping we could attend the fireworks show after dinner,” Declan explained. Was he…blushing? Why was he blushing? Does he wish to have someone accompany him when the fireworks go off?

The waitress returned with Declan’s debit card. “Here you go,” she said. “Thank you for visiting us. We hope to see you again.”

As Declan thanked her for returning the debit card, he analyzed the receipt to see how much he paid and calculated what her tip was. He wrote down the amount he was tipping her and the sum of that and the subtotal on the receipt with a pen she had provided.

“Shall we continue with our date?” Declan asked.

“Sure…” Shay replied, still feeling uncomfortable about this being a date.

They got up from their table and headed to the front doors to leave the restaurant. Once they were outside, Declan led the way to where the fireworks were going to be held since Shay wasn’t sure the place where Paradise City’s fireworks shows usually take place.

“Come,” Declan said, gently holding Shay’s hand. “The fireworks show will take place at Heartland Park.”

Shay glanced at their intertwined hands. “Why there?” he asked.

“For scenic purposes,” Declan answered.

That was an odd place to watch the fireworks because that was where all of Heartland’s festivities occur, so wouldn’t that limit their chances of seeing the celebration? Regardless of where they were viewing it, Shay still doesn’t feel anything with his hand being held by Declan’s.

“But I thought it was a Paradise City fireworks show,” Shay pointed out.

“True,” Declan said. “But this is to celebrate the restoration of the Original Dimension. The fireworks from Paradise City are simply a lot more entertaining than the ones from Heartland.”

How does he know that? He has never seen Heartland’s fireworks in the entirety of his life; fortunately, Shay has seen them multiple times, so he will be the judge of that. “I’ll take your word for it,” he said.

They spent the next half hour taking a walk from the Paradise section to the Heartland section of the Original Dimension city, where they headed over to the park with Shay leading the way this time. Upon arriving at Heartland Park, the two noticed a lot of other people were already there. It seems the dimensions fusing back into one was a cause for celebration among everyone throughout the four dimensions.

Whether they were in the revived city or in other parts in the world, it was truly a time for rejoicing back into one after spending approximately fourteen years split apart. In Declan’s case, this was a nice way to continue his date whereas Shay was more focused on checking out what makes this fireworks show more entertaining than Heartland’s. The two were able to find a comfortable spot that was in between the crowd and a few scattered trees.

“What makes Paradise City fireworks better than the ones in Heartland?” Shay asked.

“Simple,” Declan answered. “Yusho was in charge of the fireworks show.”

Yusho? The same Yusho that founded and used to teach at Heartland Duel School? This just got interesting for Shay because that means his former teacher was the one putting together tonight’s festive bash; it was definitely going to be his first one in three years.

“Ladies and gentlemen, and people not native to the former Pendulum Dimension, get ready for a spectacular fireworks show you have never seen before!”

Everyone directed their attention towards the speaker, leaving Shay and Declan a bit stunned at who was the one giving out the announcement. It was none other than Yuya Sakaki himself. Since when did he start helping out with hosting and putting together his hometown’s fireworks show?

“Now before we begin, I have an important announcement to make,” Yuya continued. “Ya see, me and my dad had to make some…modifications to the fireworks show.” He rubbed the back of his head. “Let’s just say I kinda developed a fear of loud explosions.”

He quickly looked at Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri, who all knew exactly what he was referring to. After merging back into Zarc, they were all traumatized by the incident and have recently discovered prior to their separation that they are easily triggered by loud explosives because they reminded them of Supreme King Dragon Zarc and the destruction the demon-beast caused.

“I also asked my dad to remove all of the green fireworks for the sake of the girls,” Yuya sheepishly added.

The Bracelet Girls, standing next to Yuya’s counterparts, knew exactly why Yusho would remove those specific fireworks. Any light emitting a bright neon green tint was a trigger for them because they couldn’t stop thinking about ARC-V powering up and how they were all forcefully transferred into it to help revive Ray.

“So without further ado, let the annual Sakaki Fireworks Show begin!” Yuya announced.

The audience applauded as he went back to where his family was. As the clapping subsided, fireworks started to blast off into the sky and quietly explode in a variety of images that were each colored differently and can actually move, coming off as more of a light show than a fireworks show. The show included Yuya’s Performapals as Mr. Blue Sky by Electric Light Orchestra playing in the background, the images moving in time with the music.

The imagery of the fireworks was categorized into two groups: the Performapals that Yuya used over the years appearing and disappearing to the rhythm of the song while the monsters he recently acquired (like Tuning Magician) performing by feeling the flow of the lyrics. Everyone was blown away by what they saw, especially the Fusion, Synchro, and XYZ residence. They have never seen a performance this stunning before, so they were all thinking that this was the best one they have seen. Everything from the choreographed images to the cheery atmosphere of the selected song, which makes sense because this was a special kind of day where the people of all four dimensions can begin living with one another. Even Shay couldn’t help but have his jaw drop at what he was watching, leaving Declan with a smirk on his face.

“This is incredible!” Shay exclaimed. “How…?”

“The fireworks in Paradise City are infused with Solid Vision,” Declan explained. “Because of this, the enhanced technology can create various imagery that actually move.”

Shay continued to stare in awe as the Performapal fireworks quietly exploded to Mr. Blue Sky. If that was the case, then why didn’t Yusho introduce that during his time at Heartland? From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Lulu cuddling with Yuto and sharing a few kisses although it felt rather different to them, mostly due to them finally being back in their own bodies. The Obsidian heir then found himself thinking about how much his sister has grown; it was actually quite unbelievably fascinating to see her mature prior to the Invasion. Originally a toddler with a strong desire to have long hair like the actresses in movies and to pursue her dream of being an actress herself, she was now but a beautiful, polite, and feminine young teen who has plans to marry a noble, chivalrous gentleman whom she met months ago. He was completely okay with their arranged marriages yet he still couldn’t stop thinking about how much she has grown. …It was a bit heartbreaking for him.

“Are you alright?” Declan asked.

“It feels as if it was only yesterday Lulu was a bright-eyed little girl,” Shay said. “I remember when I brought her to the Heartland Spring Festival for the first time.”

Lulu was only as young as a preschool student when she attended her first Heartland Spring Festival. She had always wanted to go there when she was a toddler and that moment was her big chance.

“Come on, Shay!” Lulu had exclaimed, dragging him over to one of the festival booths. “I want a plush Rainbow Kuriboh!”

Shay let out a laugh. “Alright,” he said. “I’ll win one for you.”

The booth she took him to with the Rainbow Kuriboh plush had a classic game set up: knocking down all six bottles that were stacked on top of each other. “Step right up and win a prize!” the booth owner announced.

“I’ll take that challenge,” Shay said, giving the man a few coins.

“Splendid!” the booth owner said. He gave Shay a small ball. “You only have one shot, so make it count!”

Using the ball he was given, Shay aimed at the stacked bottles to see where would be a good point to knock them down. He has been given private lessons to enhance his smarts and athleticism, so this was a perfect opportunity to put them in use. He chucked the ball towards the lower leftish-center section, knocking the bottom two down, which caused the upper three to fall and topple over the last standing one.

The booth owner was amazed. “Incredible!” he exclaimed. “I have never seen such precision from a boy that young! How-” He looked closely at Shay and Lulu. “Wait a minute… You’re the Obsidian kids, aren’t you?”

“We are,” Shay answered. “And I promised my sister a Rainbow Kuriboh plush.”

“Of course,” the booth owner said. He gave a Rainbow Kuriboh plush to Lulu. “Here you go.”

“Thank you!” Lulu happily said, hugging the plush.

She has had it ever since because she never forgot the day her brother won it for her. She always took care of it and made sure it was in good condition just in case the time comes to pass it down to her potential offspring. Shay cherished that memory for years now and still found it hard to believe that the long-haired girl cuddling with Yuto and watching the fireworks show with him was the same bright-eyed young child he took with to the Heartland Spring Festival.

“She grew up so fast,” Shay said, sounding a bit sad. Here she was now, reunited with her boyfriend and family, and she can now look forward to continuing her acting lessons without any sudden interruptions. And in a few more years, she will marry Yuto and they will have kids of their own. She was growing up right before his eyes.

“At least you actually get to grow up with your younger sibling,” Declan said.

“What about Riley?” Shay asked.

“Recently I discovered she had all of her previous memories retained,” Declan explained. “Her not smiling wasn’t because of Zarc. It was because she remembers how mother treated her. Yuya’s Dueltainment only distracted her. I decided it would be better for Moon Shadow to raise her.”

It was going to be weird not having Riley around Leo Corporation because Declan had developed a caring sibling bond with him/her, especially after learning Henrietta took advantage of her adopted child’s trauma. He knew what his life was like, and thanks to Declan’s tutelage, Riley became a strong Duelist who helped put a stop to Zarc’s madness, even if it reverted him into a baby girl. He figured having Moon Shadow raise her would be perfect since she has looked up to him and he has protected her on certain occasions. Surely, the two will come up with a plan for her new life.

“I did give Riley’s deck to Moon Shadow for when she’s older,” Declan continued. “If all of her memories really are left intact, she’ll have no trouble relearning her C/C strategies.”

Despite initial hesitation, Shay gave Declan’s hand a gentle squeeze. “You made the right decision,” the Raidraptor user said. “Moon Shadow will make a perfect parental figure for Riley.”

“Thank you for the reassurance,” Declan said. Then suddenly, he pulled his hand away from Shay’s. “But you can drop the act. I figured you weren’t gay.”

Wait, he knew all along?! How? When? Shay was more confused than relieved by this sudden revelation. If that was the case, then why did Declan even ask him out in the first place?

“If you knew, why did you ask me out?” Shay asked.

“I didn’t know at first,” Declan admitted. “I wasn’t sure if you were that kind of person, but I did notice how handsome you are. Yey I realized you seemed uncomfortable at the restaurant, which made me come to the conclusion that my suspicions are correct.”

“What suspicions?” Shay asked.

“That every handsome man is either fictional, taken, or straight,” Declan answered.

Those were his suspicions? Well, he isn’t entirely wrong about people having fictional crushes or learning their crushes are taken or have different sexualities. It is a thing that constantly happens.

“But at least I now know Dextra won’t be disappointed,” Declan said. “You’re a perfect fit for her.”

Shay was surprised to hear that. “How do you know Dextra?” he asked.

“Mother always invited the Papillions to family parties,” Declan explained. “As a result, Dextra ended up becoming one of my closest friends.”

Shay never knew Declan and Dextra were close friends with each other; it did seem interesting about how a family from the XYZ Dimension was invited to parties in the Standard/Pendulum Dimension. That must have been happening when he discovered there were four dimensions. At least he was glad to know his friend accepted him being straight and his upcoming marriage.

During the fireworks show finale, an image of Xiansheng Magician appeared and shot an arrow, causing the image to quietly explode into light purple hearts with white angel wings. Then the words ‘Congratulations on your arranged marriage, Yuto!’ appeared in the sky, causing the eggplant-haired teen to blush heavily.

“Yuya!” Yuto called out. “People don’t celebrate arranged marriages!”

“Aw, don’t be such a bummer,” Lulu said. She kissed her boyfriend on the cheek. “It’s probably his way of celebrating.”

Yuto couldn’t stop blushing at how embarrassed he was about everyone learning of him getting married to Lulu, but a smooch from her did ease him down. As for Shay, he got a slight chuckle at the finale because Yuya must have found out earlier today or prior to the blood separation. Even after the initial struggle against Duel Academy, it looked like the Obsidian siblings have bright futures ahead of them.


	5. Knight or Beast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Yuto continues to bond with his newfound family, they bring him to a Renaissance Faire to help cheer him up regarding his future life as part of the Obsidians. But what if this future is too much for him to handle?

The next morning, back at the Sakaki residence, Yuya and Yuto were both on the second floor getting ready for the weekend. After the fireworks show last night, the family decided their recently-discovered relative can have a sleepover with his cousin. Right now, Yuto was showering to freshen up and get rid of his bed head while Yuya had a bit of an empty stomach and hoped this wouldn’t be similar to the day he dueled against Reed Pepper.

“Hey Yuya, can you hand me another bottle of shampoo?” Yuto asked.

“Shouldn’t one bottle be enough?” Yuya asked as he washed his face and neck.

“No,” Yuto answered. Then he proceeded to toss an empty bottle of shampoo out of the shower.

Yuya was surprised. “There was a third of shampoo left in there!” he pointed out.

“And I need a bit more,” Yuto explained. “My hair is longer and thicker than yours, so I need more shampoo than what you normally use.”

It was practically a never-ending shampoo issue for him. On the day of the LID dance, he had to use Yuya’s shampoo brand because there wasn’t any Spike and Curl; now that there were some for him, he uses the bottles up faster and uses a larger amount for his eggplant-shaped hair.

“Fine,” Yuya said. He took out a bottle of Spike and Curl from the bathroom cabinet and tossed it to Yuto. “But this is the last bottle! Mom only bought two.”

Using the last bottle, Yuto added a bit more of his shampoo to wash his hair and proceed with the rest of his shower. He usually showers in the morning and follows it up with brushing and blow-drying his naturally spiky hair so that it will look nice for the day. Yuya’s routine was different in which he showers at night and combs his hair in the morning to untangle any knots that may have formed when he was sleeping.

When Yuya was done washing up, he proceeded to comb his hair. While that was going on, Yuto had finished with his shower. He wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped out of the shower. He then plugged in a hairdryer and proceeded to brush/blow-dry his hair.

“Geez Yuto, doesn’t that seem a little too much?” Yuya asked.

“Not for me,” Yuto clarified. “My hair is much thicker than yours, so I need to properly maintain it on a constant basis.”

Yuya always preferred combing because he felt like hairdryers make his hair…flatter and straighter. Of course, it wasn’t as thick and spiky as Yuto’s, but it sure is soft and fluffy. Heck, their contrasting textures and colors pretty much gave them their different physical appearances yet so many people couldn’t tell the two apart for a while…that is until Alex noticed Yuya’s hairstyle and mistook it for a wig, marking the end of the color blind situation among the Yu-Salad.

Yuya chuckled at the memory, which Yuto quickly noted. “What’s so funny?” the XYZ Duelist asked.

“I was thinking about when I first met Alex,” Yuya said. “He thought my hair was a wig.”

“That’s not surprising,” Yuto said. He turned off the hairdryer and brushed his now-dry hair into place. “Alex is one of my close friends. He can easily recognize my hair in an instant. He even calls me ‘eggplant head’.”

“Kinda like how Sora calls me 'tomato head’?” Yuya asked, placing his comb on the bathroom counter and finger-combing his hair to help emphasize the fluffiness.

“I guess,” Yuto answered.

Now that he thought about it, his other two counterparts may have also been given nicknames based on their food-like hairstyles. He knows Yugo often gets called a moron, but how often does he get called “banana bangs”? What about Yuri? He was bound to be referred to as “cabbage head” by someone, but they only recently met after Yuya’s revival; Yuto wasn’t counting the duel prior to Zarc’s return because he was fully corrupted by the darkness and it caused him to assist his Fusion and Synchro counterparts in convincing Yuya to reuniting as one again. Regardless, he wasn’t entirely sure if Yuri has been called “cabbage head” at all since he and Celina are practically rivals at this point.

“By the way, mom got some new clothes for you,” Yuya said.

Yuto was surprised to hear that. “When?” he asked, finishing with brushing his hair.

“After she found out you’re her nephew,” Yuya answered as he ruffled his own hair a bit. “I hope you don’t mind wearing some Pendulum Dimension-native outfits.”

“Of course not,” Yuto said. “I could use a change in style.”

Yuya’s new clothes consist of a white t-shirt containing an orange diamond overlapping a light blue square and a pair of dark greenish pants with a lighter chartreuse stripe around the waist that contain medium greenish strings that tie and help give support to the pants. Yuto’s were incorporated of a light gray tanktop, a dark gray, short-sleeved, button-up shirt, and dark jeans with a black belt.

When the cousins got dressed in Yuya’s room, Yuto was satisfied with his new look. “Not bad,” he said, looking at his reflection in the mirror as he adjusted his glasses. “I could get used to Pendulum Dimension fashion.”

“That’s the spirit!” Yuya cheerfully said. “Now come on, mom made fresh pancakes and I don’t want Sora eating all of it.”

The two cousins left Yuya’s room. “Why does Sora live here now?” Yuto asked. “And why is he your adopted brother?”

“Funny story,” Yuya replied. “After the whole Zarc thing, everyone returned to their home dimensions, but Sora admitted that he doesn’t have any memories of his birth family. So mom got Leo to sign some adoption papers and now Sora is part of the Sakaki family.”

Yuto never knew about this information; Celina and Yuri didn’t have memories of their families, but that was because they became existent after Ray and Zarc split. How come Sora doesn’t have memories of the Perse family if he wasn’t a reincarnation?

“What happened to his memories?” Yuto asked.

“I’m not really sure,” Yuya admitted. “He said his first memory was waking up in a lab. He doesn’t have any memories prior to joining Duel Academy. Apparently that was part of the previous student registration program before Leo changed it.”

Leo initially wanted to have all the new students’ memories erased because he wanted to mold them into loyal—albeit ruthless for a selected few—soldiers capable of assisting him in bringing back the Original Dimension by carding people to fuel ARC-V. The last thing anyone needed was to think of their loved ones.

“That would explain why Sora apparently became attached to your m- I-I mean, Aunt Yoko,” Yuto said. “He probably doesn’t even remember what his mom looks like.”

“Probably,” Yuya agreed as he approached the pole he normally uses to get downstairs.

Yuto noticed the pole as well. “Couldn’t we take the stairs?” he asked.

“Yeah, but this way is more fun,” Yuya answered. He grabbed onto the pole and placed both hands on it before wrapping his legs around it and sliding down with Yuto watching on.

“You want me to go down that pole?” Yuto asked.

“Yep!” Yuya happily replied.

Yuto has never went down a pole in his life; heck, it was rather a bit peculiar that a house like this would even have one. “Alright…” he said, carefully grabbing onto the pole.

Yuto’s hands got a firm grip, but his legs wouldn’t move. He looked down to see Yuya had already made it to the first floor; although his worry of landing on top of him was the least of his problem, he couldn’t quite figure out how to wrap his legs around without losing his balance or fumbling.

“Come on, Yuto!” Yuya encouraged. “Take a step forward and jump!”

Yuto took a deep breath, then he wrapped his legs around the pole and closed his eyes. He felt a slight gust coming from below him, causing him to open one of his eyes. He took a look at his surroundings to see that he was in the living room. Stunned by what had just happened, both eyes opened wide, realizing he has successfully slid down a pole.

“Alright, you did it!” Yuya happily said, patting his cousin on the back.

Yuto couldn’t help but chuckle at Yuya’s enthusiasm. “Thank you,” he said.

“Aw, you’re welcome,” Yuya said. “Now let’s get some breakfast.”

The two put on their usual sneakers and headed to the kitchen where they saw Sora had gotten a head start on breakfast; fortunately, Yoko was at the stove cooking up some more of her homemade pancakes.

“There you two are!” Sora said, drizzling some chocolate syrup on his plate of pancakes. “I thought I was gonna have to eat all these pancake all by myself.”

Yuya noticed the kitchen was lacking a certain someone. “Where’s dad?” he asked.

“He went to Heartland Duel School,” Yoko answered. “They were some technical problems with the Action Duel lab, so they needed him to do some repairs.”

“That’s no surprise,” Yuto said. “He did found the school.”

“By the way, Yuto, Kameron Obsidian called me,” Yoko added. “He wants to know when you’ll be ready to move in.”

Move in? Why? Why does Kameron want him to move in with the Obsidians? Was this about the job offer that he was accepted into? But then Yuto remembered that Shay and Lulu wanted him to move in with them during the LID dance. However, that was currently going to be a bit of a problem…

“Yuto?” Yuya asked, noticing his tensed expression. “You feeling alright?”

“I’m not sure,” Yuto admitted. “Before the separation, I was looking forward to living with the Obsidians as I worked at their company.” He glanced down at his new outfit. “But after spending time with this family, I’m not sure if that kind of environment is right for me.”

“Come on, cuz,” Yuya said. “You’re already close with Shay and Lulu. You’ll fit in just nicely.”

“That’s what you think,” Yuto said. “Before the Invasion, it was hard to believe that Shay and Lulu come from a wealthy family. They’re very down-to-earth and don’t flaunt their wealth a lot. But what if that’s how they act among non-wealthy people like myself?”

He has kept those thoughts hidden for quite some time now. Before Shay and Lulu transferred to Heartland Duel School, they attended an expensive private school called Heart Prep. What if the Obsidians boast about their wealth among the elite citizens and only act reasonable towards the middle class because they pity them about how they’re not as rich as them?

Sora let out a laugh. “It’s not funny!” Yuto exclaimed, his fists clenched tightly.

“No, but your overreaction is,” Sora said once he calmed down. “There’s gotta be a reason why Lulu fell in love with you.”

“But I fell in love with her first,” Yuto pointed out. “When I found out she and Shay are wealthy, I secretly doubted their motives. I don’t call her a princess just because of her radiant beauty. It’s also because of her status. If we were in the medieval era, she would have been an actual princess.”

“No wonder you snapped when we found out about the Fusion Parasites,” Yuya said. “You kinda take this whole knight thing seriously.”

Yuya was right; his cousin does take being knightly very seriously. Yuto was absolutely livid when he learned the Doktor implanted Fusion Parasites in Celina and especially Lulu and he wouldn’t forgive Duel Academy for taking away his girlfriend’s sweet smile and forced her into fusing with her counterparts against her free will. He was molded into who he was because he joined the dueling club and Shay instructed him to envision himself to be as brave, noble, and chivalrous as the Phantom Knights. Because of the Obsidians’ high class lifestyle, he always felt like he was Lulu’s knight in shining armor who will do anything to rescue and protect her.

“I’m not a big history fan, but don’t knights ultimately marry princesses?” Yuya asked.

“Not quite,” Yuto answered. “Only men who were originally born into nobility could marry royalty. Take Mary Tudor for example. She initially planned to marry a duke, but the marriage was done in secret and it wasn’t until her first husband died of old age.”

“Oh, Yuto…” Yoko said, having finished cooking this morning’s batch of pancakes. “You don’t think you deserve to marry Lulu?”

“Never,” Yuto admitted as he and Yuya sat at the kitchen table.

Yuya helped himself to some pancakes. “You said you officially hooked up with her when you asked her to the Heartland Duel School dance,” he recalled with his mouth full of pancake. He swallowed his mouthful. “And why else would her parents set up an arranged marriage for you two?”

“I honestly don’t know,” Yuto replied, putting a few pancakes on his plate. “But for all I know, I’m only a poor orphan to the Obsidians. They probably took pity on me when they found out my mom died during the Invasion.” He took a bite of his pancakes.

For the next couple minutes, Yuya pondered about something. Something medieval. He may not be into history, but he has been finding the parallels on how Yuto was a knight and Lulu was a princess. Does that make Shay, Kameron, and Astra the prince, king, and queen respectively? Definitely. Just then, an idea popped into his head on how to cheer Yuto up again; he remembered hearing stuff about these Renaissance Faires that occur every year in America, but he wasn’t sure if Japan has their own Faires too. They must have something similar because medieval history still plays an important role in today’s society.

“Hey mom, do you know if there’s a Renaissance Faire going on today?” Yuya asked.

“I think so,” Yoko answered. “But it’s in another town.”

“That’s all I needed to hear,” Yuya said. “Yuto Osaku, we’re having a family fun day at the Renaissance Faire!”

Yuto nearly choked on his mouthful of pancake. “What?” he asked once he swallowed.

“You heard me,” Yuya said. “If you’re gonna keep comparing yourself to a knight and Lulu to a princess, you might as well get a taste of what that bond is really like.”

Once they were all done with their pancakes, they all headed out to the car so that Yoko can drive her sons and nephew to the Faire. She may not duel as much as she used to, but she always kept her Duel Disk around for other usages, one of them being using it as a GPS. She opened up the Maps app and typed down the location of where it was taking place in order to get directions.

The event was occurring in Hiroo, a town located in the second largest island in Japan called Hokkaido. The Tsugaru separates it from Honshu, Japan’s largest and most populous island, but they are connected by a railway called the Seikan Tunnel, the second deepest and second longest railway tunnel. Her plan was to park the car at the Aomori Station—named after the capital of Honshu’s Aomori region—and take a train that runs through the Seikan Tunnel and stops at Hakodate Station, then take another train from there to Hiroo to check out the Faire.

The name of this Faire the family was going to see was part of the West Kingdom, the founding kingdom of the Society of Creative Anachronism (SCA) that was established in 1966 in Berkeley, California. The people who founded it were big fans of history and science fiction and held outdoor parties with food, drinks, revelries, and tournaments. In 1969, when words of the SCA were spreading after multiple events were planned one after another, the East Kingdom was founded; soon enough, the non-profit education society developed a total of nineteen kingdoms with over 30,000 members. The West Kingdom had areas formed in the United States and Asia, which can be found in northern and southern regions of California, northern Nevada, Alaska, Guam, South Korea, Thailand, and Japan.

When the family arrived at the Faire’s entrance, they were greeted by one of the employees. “Greetings!” he said. “Welcome the West Kingdom! But before you can continue, you must state your statuses so we may provide the appropriate attire for you.”

Yuto was deeply confused. “Uh…”

“We’re from the royal Sakaki family in Paradise City,” Yoko explained, giving the employee an ID card. “The boy with magical corrective lenses is our knight.”

The employee checked the ID card. “My apologies, Lady Sakaki,” he said, giving the ID card back to Yoko. “It has been a long time since you came. Please come with me for your attire.”

“You were here before?” Yuto asked.

“Only once,” Yoko answered. “It was a anniversary celebration.”

“I think I remember coming here several years ago,” Yuya recalled. “But the memories are a bit blurry.”

He was only six, maybe even younger, when he went to the West Kingdom’s Faire for his parents anniversary, so it was going to be his and Yoko’s second time attending this event. Sora and Yuto have never been to something like this before for different reasons. Their first order of business was to change into the proper clothes for a medieval atmosphere.

“My goodness, young lord,” the employee told Yuya. “You have grown so much since we last saw you, so you are due for new measurements.”

“I thought so,” Yuya said.

The employee then looked at Yuto. “So this boy with the eggplant-like hair is your knight?” he asked.

“I am a knight,” Yuto explained. “But my actual allegiance is to another royal family.”

“And what about this young blue-haired boy?” the employee asked.

“I was adopted into the Sakaki family,” Sora answered.

“I see,” the employee said. “Then it seems you two might need to get your measurements recorded as well.”

The three boys followed the employee to a separate room where he measured each of them. He noticed how similar Yuya and Yuto looked and caught on to how slightly buffer the young Osaku’s physique was. As for Sora, he was the shortest out of them all, so he was going to need some smaller clothes that will fit him.

Yuya noticed the employee’s confused expression. “Is somethin’ wrong?” he asked.

“Aside from the different hairstyles, your looks and voices are eerily similar,” the employee remarked. “Are you two related?”

“We’re cousins,” Yuto answered. “Our moms are sisters.”

“Of course!” the employee said. “That would explain the similarities.”

After the measurement were recorded, he handed the pad of medievalesque paper to another employee to give the boys the best fitting prince and knight outfits for them to try on. He then instructed Yuya, Yuto, and Sora to head on over to the nearby fitting room to try on their respective clothes.

“Young lord, let us know when you are properly dressed,” the employee told Yuya.

“How come?” Yuya asked.

“It’s your hair, sire,” the employee explained, moving Yuya’s bangs away from his forehead. “It is not suited for a young prince such as yourself.”

“Uh… Okay…” Yuya said, baffled by the sudden request. “I’ll think about it…” Those fears were unexpectedly returning to him. The fears of getting a haircut. He didn’t mind his hair getting sprayed with water to make it easier to comb through and preferred to have it air-dried than blow-dried, but there was one thing that he couldn’t stand about haircuts: scissors. He had that issue for as long as he could remember, hence why his hair always looks so fluffy and longish. He doesn’t want his hair getting cut too close to his scalp.

Pretty soon, the family got dressed into their proper outfits for today’s Faire. Yoko’s was that of a regal queen whereas her sons wore matching attires that distinguished them as princes with obvious differences. Yuya’s had warm and bright colors consisting of a red top, green pants, a white cape with yellowish-gold linings, magenta shoes with dark gray decals, and had his sash on his right shoulder; on the other hand, Sora’s was cooler and darker with a moderate blue top, gray pants, a black cape, brown shoes, and had his sash on his left shoulder. Yuto’s dawned a knight’s uniform with dark purple shoulder pads that held his black, knee-length cape in place and a small broach that depicted a bird to represent he was from another kingdom.

Yuya let out a whistle. “You look good, Yuto,” he said, his tomato hair already gelled down thanks to one of the employees. “Like a true knight.”

However, instead of smirking like he normally did whenever someone complimented his looks, Yuto got on one knee and knelt before Yuya. “Your highness,” he said.

Yuya was taken back by what his cousin had done. “You can get back up,” he said.

“My apologies,” Yuto said, still kneeling. “But knights live to serve royalty, not get treated as equals.”

“No, Yuya is right,” Yoko said. “You are still family.”

“Yeah,” Sora agreed. “Now get back up and snap out of this stupid funk.”

It wasn’t much of a funk; it was more of a force of habit, but can you blame him? For Yuto Osaku, being knightly is one of the biggest—if not, the biggest—changes of his life. He was no longer the shy, timid loner outcasted by a cheerful and colorful city and it surprised everyone, but they have gotten used to his sudden change and he became a part of their society. It paid off immensely because he has his own circle of friends, a long-lost extension of his family, and is currently dating his first friend’s younger sister. Of course, he was hoping his personality has truly captivated the Obsidian family.

Yuto stood back on his feet. “My apologies,” he said, bowing slightly. “But I’m only getting into character.”

“Alright,” Yoko said. “It was Yuya’s idea for us to come here.”

“Yeah!” Yuya happily said. “Now let’s make this the best family fun day ever!”

Once the family stepped outside, trumpets blared. “Presenting the royal Sakaki family and their accompanied knight!” an employee announced.

The people attending the Faire turned their attentions towards the newly-arrived guests, who were walking down a long carpet from the castle to the entrance where all the festivities were. Everyone gave a massive round of applause for the family as a welcoming greeting to their annual event. But while Yuya was smiling and waving, Yuto covered his face with his hand.

“No one said there would be this much attention,” Yuto muttered.

“It’s alright,” Yoko told her nephew. “They do this to the guests who want to dress up like royalty. We’re not a special exception.”

Yuto isn’t much of a big fan of attention unlike Yuya who was basking in the applause from the people applauding for them. Eventually, the family entered the Faire where a vast variety of festivities were provided: sampling medieval food, drinks, and entertainment, SCA members teaching visiting college students about a pre-seventeenth century world subject called “Current Middle Age”, guilds and other groups holding meetings including dancing, cooking, making armor, needlework, and music, and the ever popular tournaments. Their tournaments were rather unique because the members host Magical Duels instead of jousting due to the popularity of Duel Monsters.

“Come one, come all!” a Faire employee announced. “Don’t miss this noon’s tournament of Magic and Wizards!”

_“Heh… I haven’t heard that name in years.”_

Yuya and Yuto’s eyes widened in surprise. “Was that you?” Yuya asked.

“No, it wasn’t,” Yuto answered. “But that means…?”

_“That’s right, my reincarnations. The great Zarc Nightstone is still here.”_

Yuya and Yuto immediately grew concerned at the sound of hearing Zarc’s voice. How is that even possible? Was he not completely gone? Are there any lingering traces of his darkness lurking within the Yu-Salad? If so, then will it grow stronger like the last time and manipulate them into fusing back into one again?

“What are you still doing in our heads?” Yuto angrily asked.

_“Geez, calm down. When Leo used that machine to separate Ray and I back into you eight, we technically didn’t cross over. Our spirits still reside in each of you. I have no desire to reemerge in all my wonderful glory. Just think of me as your guardian angel.”_

“Then why did you show up now?” Yuya asked.

_“Because I remember when Duel Monsters was originally called Magic and Wizards, so I figured I might pop in and give you two newbies some old-school pointers.”_

“Wait, that’s what Magic and Wizards is?” Yuya asked. “An older version of Duel Monsters?”

_“Indeed, my tomato-haired self. Back before Seto Kaiba changed things up to make things fairer for everyone who enjoys the card game.”_

“So what are these rules like?” Yuya asked.

_“The whole premise of Magic and Wizards is that you and your opponent are wizards with the cards allowing you to cast spells or summon monsters. The gameplay style is the same as what you youngsters are familiar with, yet there are a few exceptions.”_

“What exceptions?” Yuto asked.

_“The levels mean absolutely nothing. You can summon any monster at any moment, with some people even summoning Fusion monsters without needing to fuse the required monsters. Oh, and you can pretty much make up special card rules as you go. In other words, whoever manages to wipe out their opponent’s 2000 starting life points with the strongest imagination is the winner.”_

“But that would mean Dark Rebellion would be completely powerless,” Yuto realized, knowing his trusted dragon wouldn’t have any Overlay Units.

_“Yeah, about that… Synchro and XYZ monsters weren’t created until after Kaiba changed the rules, but I’m sure Dark Rebellion will adapt to those rules. He’s a pretty chill guy.”_

Yuto heard Dark Rebellion growl from the Extra Deck, reassuring his owner about how he didn’t mind the rules to Magic and Wizards. Yuya and Zarc also heard the growls since the three do share the same ability to communicate with Duel Monsters. It didn’t change the fact on how the two cousins were developing some worries regarding said rules.

“But what about Odd-Eyes?” Yuya asked, taking out his trusted dragon from his deck. “Do I have to revert him back into a regular monster?”

_“Nah, you’ll be fine. Odd-Eyes is a good boy. He loves a good performance. These things are right up his ally.”_

“You sure?” Yuya asked.

_“Just be glad the other two aren’t here. Starving Venom can’t stand friendly performances. They kinda restricts his full power. But the worst of it is Clear Wing. She simply wouldn’t like being summoned the old-fashioned way. For her, it’s go synch or go home.”_

Yuya and Yuto’s eyes widened in shocked realization at what Zarc just said. Did he just refer to Clear Wing as a “she”? That could mean…

“Clear Wing Synchro Dragon is actually a girl?!” Yuya asked.

_“Of course she’s a girl. I remember hearing her snarl at Yugo whenever he called her a guy-”_

“Come on, you two!” Sora called out. “You gotta try this barbecued pig on a stick!”

_“And that would be my cue to leave. Just remember what I said about the Magic and Wizards rules.”_

“We’ll try,” Yuto said as Yuya put Odd-Eyes back in his deck.

The two caught up with Sora, who was sampling the barbecued pig on a stick that he got from a nearby stand. Although it smelled delicious, they weren’t sure if what he was eating was the entire pig or just a portion because people often roast the whole animal on a stick and it was honestly a bit creepy seeing its lifeless face.

“Uh… Sora?” Yuya asked. “What exactly are you eating?”

“Oh, relax,” Sora said, showing his treat to the cousins. “It’s just a slice of ham coated in barbecue sauce on a stick.”

“Then what was with your choice of wording?” Yuto asked.

“Just wanted to mess with ya,” Sora answered with a cheeky grin.

Ever since the Interdimensional War was over, Sora has grown into quite a troll not long after Yoko adopted him. Yuya sometimes forgets about it and easily falls for his younger brother’s tricks.

“But seriously, try it out,” Sora said, gesturing to the samples on display. “It’s delicious.”

Yuya and Yuto looked over at the stand that was displayed and walked towards it. They saw a couple employees slicing up some ham, cooking them up, poking sticks through them, drizzling barbecue sauce on them, and placing them on the display box.

“Good day, young prince,” an employee told Yuya. “Care to try the West Kingdom’s famous barbecued ham? You’ll never find ham tastier than this!”

Yuya picked up one of the samples. “I never saw ham served on a stick like this before,” he remarked.

“Well of course, sire,” the employee said. “Our ham is far more worthy than being served in a simple sandwich.”

Yuya didn’t mind having ham sandwiches every now and then, but he was right about never seeing it served on a stick, let alone eating it, especially when it’s covered in barbecue sauce. Curious about the taste, he took a bite out of the ham. His eyes widened in amazement.

“This is absolutely delicious!” Yuya exclaimed. “Yuto, you’ve gotta try this!”

He handed his cousin another ham on a stick for him to sample. Yuto usually had ham for dinner during Easter or whenever he felt like he wasn’t sure what to have for lunch. The barbecue sauce does smell good though; it seemed to help boost the smell of the deli, but did it also make the flavor more edible? He bit into the ham, and much like his cousin, the Phantom Knights user was amazed with the taste.

“I never tasted ham like this before,” Yuto remarked.

The two cousins delightfully ate the rest of their ham samples as they embraced the combined flavor of a thin, rolled-up sheet of meat moistened in a thick layer of flavorful and savory sauce.

“So what else does this Faire provide?” Yuto asked.

“You never attended any Faires back in the XYZ Dimension?” Yuya asked.

“Not like this,” Yuto answered. “Heartland always had numerous festivals each year, but none of them had a special period theme.”

“Then how about we watch the chess game?” Yoko suggested.

That baffled Yuto. “What’s exciting about watching a chess game?” he asked, imagining a crowd of people watching two old men play chess.

“I think I saw one on TooYube,” Sora recalled. “It’s when a group of people get together to act out a mock battle as characters from Robin Hood lore.”

“Yeah,” Yuya agreed. “The stage is set like a giant chess board. It’s pretty cool to watch.”

Yuto asked himself some curious questions about this Robin Hood-themed chess match. Are the competitors acting out as the characters and the chess pieces are their armies? Is it some kind of reenactment of a scene from the legend? Whatever was going on, it admittedly piqued his interests about this game.

“My only piece of Robin Hood knowledge comes from a single movie,” Yuto admitted.

“Which one?” Sora asked. “'Cause the Disney version is a bit inaccurate. None of the characters are actually animals.”

“Men in Tights,” Yuto answered.

Yuya and Sora chuckled out of amusement after hearing their cousin’s response. Out of all the Robin Hood movies, he saw Men in Tights? That Mel Brooks film produced in America back in 1993?

“What’s so funny?” Yuto asked.

“That’s…not exactly true to Robin Hood lore,” Yuya explained. “It’s more like a parody.”

“Wait, so women in the lore didn’t wear iron underwear?” Yuto asked, sounding genuinely confused.

“Nope,” Sora answered.

After a long discussion about the true story of Robin Hood and the many differences in its modern adaptations, the four went to see the chess match. Yuya and Sora were right about how this was no ordinary game of chess. There was an outdoor stage set up that stood in front of a large, grassy chess board where the people playing as the King and Queen give orders to their army, who are their “chess pieces”. Their opponents also have “chess pieces” of their own and commands them to retaliate against the King and Queen’s army.

“Thank you for coming to today’s chess game!” the King announced. “And it seems we have special visitors among the crowd.”

“Indeed,” the Queen agreed. “Let us give a grand West Kingdom welcome to the royal Sakaki family and their accompanied knight!”

The audience applauded for the Sakaki-Osaku family once again since it’s been less than a decade since Yoko and her son attended the Faire. As usual, Yuya smiled and waved at everyone while Yuto blushed slightly and tried to divert himself from the attention.

“Now then, shall we begin this year’s wondrous chess game?” the Queen asked.

“Indeed, my wife,” the King replied. He looked back at the crowd. “And don’t forget about this afternoon’s Magic and Wizards tournament, where the winning knight shall receive the greatest treasure in all the land!”

Yuya, Yuto, and Sora raised their eyebrows in astonishment and started to ponder on what the “greatest treasure” even is. “Oh man, I bet it’s a lifetime supply of candy!” Sora gushed.

“It’s not candy,” Yuto said. “It’s probably gold or-”

“My goodness, I almost forgot!” the King said, unknowingly interrupting Yuto’s statement. “Come on out, my dearest daughter!”

Coming out from backstage was a young woman with long, silky, blonde hair and teal eyes. She was, without a doubt, the King and Queen’s daughter, meaning she was a princess; her appearance made Yuto love-struck, mostly because she reminded him of Rapunzel, his favorite fairytale.

“…or the princess’ hand in marriage,” the eggplant-haired teen muttered.

“Snap out of it, cuz!” Yuya said. “You have a girlfriend, remember? I don’t think she would like seeing you get all lovey-dovey towards other long-haired girls.”

Yuto did end up snapping out of his love-struck gaze, but it had different results. He suddenly remembered he was arranged to get married with Lulu in the future and he was going to move in with the Obsidians as soon as possible so that he could be able to work at his job at the family company. Before he knew it, the dilemma and worries he was focused on earlier this morning soon crept back up to him. But despite those worries about not being worthy enough to have Lulu’s hand in marriage, there was another issue he had ever since the Zarc thing was resolved.

“Yuya…” Yuto said. “How do you really feel about Zuzu?”

“I already told you,” Yuya replied. “She’s a good friend, but I don’t see her as a girlfriend.”

“So I’m the only one who feels desire and ache whenever I think about my girlfriend?” Yuto asked.

Yuya was baffled by Yuto’s choice of words. “What are you talking about?” Yuya asked.

“Desire to hold her close all the time…” Yuto clarified. “And ache when she’s not in your sight.”

“Uh… I don’t think so?” Yuya replied, not sure how to properly respond.

“It’s why I had to help Shay find Lulu,” Yuto said. “When I’m by her side or gently touching her, I feel calmer. I always assumed it was because of how much I love her, but after what happened…” He looked at his hand. “I’m not even sure anymore.” He clenched his hand into a fist. “Could it be because she’s the only one who can tame the beast within myself? Or is there something more to that?”

Yuto could feel something that was…indescribable. With everything that had happened, especially at Duel Academy, this burning darkness grew within him and had gotten stronger overtime. Lulu’s agonizing scream made him give into it because he wanted to protect her, but there was more to it than meets the eye; his strength to resist was weakening, making him more vulnerable for corruption until…it consumed him. With Yuya and Yuri dueling each other, resistance was futile. The Four Dimension Dragons were brought out, Smile World was sent to the Graveyard via the face-down Break Away, ARC-V was activated, and all four dimensions were starting to fuse back into one. He didn’t want to merge back with his counterparts, but the growing darkness became too much for most of them to withstand, and before anyone knew it, Zarc was back and ready to continue his onslaught that was interrupted by Ray.

Slight trembles travelled all over Yuto’s body because he felt it was virtually impossible to try to tackle Zarc’s manipulative control on his reincarnations and rescue the Bracelet Girls from being transferred into ARC-V, especially Lulu. She was one of the few people that meant everything to him and they demonstrate it through genuine feelings and love for each other. However, after everything they went through, he wasn’t sure why he needed to be with her in the first place. Having her sweet smile forcibly taken away or seeing her in pain made him furious and awakened this hidden beast that made itself known to the world. Why does he need to be with her? Was it to remind him on how danger won’t do any harm to them from now on? Was it out of protection? Reassurance? Compassion? Concern? Love? Was it to make sure something like that won’t happen again?

Was it to prevent him from becoming part of…a single monster again?

He didn’t want history to repeat itself, but after what they endured, it became too confusing for him to comprehend or handle. Trembles increased to subtle yet noticeable shakes as he had difficulty trying to not focus on the personal conflict he mentioned this morning.

“Yuto…” Yuya said out of concern. “Is that why you feel unsure about your new life?”

“Part of me feels unworthy to be the commoner-born husband of a beautiful princess,” Yuto continued, small tears dripping from his eyes. “Yet this other part, a beastly side, wants to be comforted and tamed by her and her alone.” He looked up at his cousin. “But which side is more dominant? The knight or the beast?”

But before Yuya could reply, trumpets blared, indicating the chess game was about to begin and the 'pieces’ were finally set up. “Sorry for the delay, everyone,” the King said. “Let the chess game commence!”

Throughout the next half hour, the King and Queen commanded their army members to attack their opponents while following the rules of chess: the pawns generally move one with a couple exceptions, the rooks move forward, backward, left or right from one to seven as long as the other “pieces” don’t obstruct their paths, the knights move two spaces in one direction and one space in a perpendicular direction and can skip over other pieces, inhabit spaces not taken by their team’s “pieces”, and can move up to eight of the board’s pieces, the bishops move diagonally as long as its path isn’t obstructed by another piece—in which it can’t move past said piece—and can take any other piece within its movements, the queens can move in all eight directions and can capture the opponent’s “pieces”, but it can’t “jump” over them, and the kings help declare the winner by moving one space in any direction. What makes this entertaining is that each member of both armies engage in mock combat to represent one chess piece capturing the other and they all continue to do so until one team declares “checkmate”, making this one really unique chess match to watch.

During the show, Yuto suddenly looked angry. “Are you alright?” Yuya asked.

“Look at the King and Queen’s army,” Yuto explained. “Do you recognize one of the knights?”

Yuya turned his head back to face the King and Queen’s army to see which knight Yuto was referring to. Sure enough, he recognized him alright from the short green hair, dark eyes, and green cape; it was Ashley from the Knights of the Duel Disk who was carded by the Obelisk Force alongside Bram and Carl.

“How dare he show his face and pass off as a knight,” Yuto said, glaring at said knight. Suddenly, he stood up. “He has no right to be here!”

That outburst caused the show to get interrupted. “I beg your pardon?” the King asked.

“You heard me,” Yuto said, stepping onto the field. “The man dressed in green is a false knight!”

Ashley noticed Yuto and approached him. “And who are you to make such an accusation?” he demanded.

“I am Sir Yuto Osaku of the Obsidians,” Yuto answered, showing no fear. “I serve the family’s beloved princess, but today I chose to accompany the Sakakis to protect them from harm.”

Yuto knew Ashley didn’t deserve such a cruel fate like getting carded as ordered by Leo, but he was certain as hell that Ashley, Bram, Carl, and Chalac were part of a duel school that makes its students come off as such dishonorable knights. And as a true knight, Yuto couldn’t tolerate that kind of false nobility.

“You imposter knights make me sick,” Yuto continued. “A true knight is noble and kind at heart, but all you do mercilessly beat up innocent people. How dare you tarnish the knight’s image!”

“You challenge me, young lad?” Ashley asked, aiming his sword at Yuto.

“If it will get through to you, yes,” Yuto said.

“Good,” Ashley said. “I haven’t had a good duel in a whi-”

“That’s quite enough!” the Queen interrupted. “If you wish to settle a dispute, save it for the Magic and Wizards tournament.”

Yuto sighed, sounding like a mix of obedience with a tiny hint of reluctance. He really wanted to show Ashley the true meaning of being a knight, and if he has to do it during the Magic and Wizards tournament, then so be it. He angrily glared at his soon-to-be opponent before sitting back down to let the chess match continue.

“Uh… Yuto?” Yuya asked. “The Magic and Wizards tournament only allows professional actors to participate.”

“So what?” Yuto asked. “I’m sure they will make an exception for me.”

_“Well good luck with that. Combining Magic and Wizards with the current Solid Vision technology can kinda make things pretty aggressive, even moreso than my four dragons.”_

Yuya and Yuto heard Zarc’s voice again and wondered what he meant by that. Implementing mass into Solid Vision is what caused the end of the world for those that lived in the Original Dimension prior to the split. How on earth could using Solid Vision in Magic and Wizards be worse than that?

“What are you talking about?” Yuya asked.

_“There was a reason why Kaiba changed the rules. If someone were to summon something like…let’s say…a Blue-Eyes White Dragon, that could cause some mass uproar and the duels would have been over pretty darn quickly if the opponent didn’t have the right cards. Can you imagine what that would have been like?”_

“I don’t know what a Blue-Eyes White Dragon is, but I’ll take your word for it,” Yuto replied.

He and Yuya began to wonder what would happen if Kaiba hadn’t changed the rules and Duel Monsters was still Magic and Wizards. Zarc did say that that people can summon monsters without performing a tribute or even a Fusion Summon and can make up card rules as the duel progressed. ATK and DEF were important to the game and the person has to use their monster’s strong stats and their imagination to eliminate their opponent’s 2000 LP. Would that mean people would get too creative with making up rules? Maybe; after all, with so many effects that people can come up with out of the blue, it would get somewhat convoluted just from trying to keep track of them by itself.

Yuya muffled a laugh as Yuto smirked, thinking about the endless made-up card rules. However, Sora was fed up with all the talking. “We can chat later," he said. "I’m trying to watch the chess game.”

“Sorry Sora,” Yuto said.

Later on in the afternoon, after the chess match had ended, Yoko, Yuya, Yuto, and Sora headed on over to a medieval arena where the Magic and Wizards tournament was going to be held. Since it required only professional actors to participate, there needs to be some way for them to make an exception so that the Phantom Knights user can show Ashley what it means to be a true knight, but how are they going to do that?

But as Yuto was searching through his deck, he look surprised. “Are you alright?” Yoko asked.

Yuto took out a card. “What is this Tuner doing in my deck?” he asked. “This is supposed to be a pure XYZ deck.”

_“Yeah, about that… My dragons may or may not have modified each of your decks while you were all fused together. But look on the bright side: now Yuya has access to updated versions of all my Magician cards.”_

Yuya took his deck out and skimmed through it to see a huge number of Magicians he never had before prior to Zarc’s return. This would really come in handy with his strategies; maybe when he’s at You Show Duel School, he can show them to Zuzu, Allie, Frederick, and Tate to see what kind of tactics he can come up with that he can use in the future. As for Yuto, he simply stared at Lady of the Lake. He was a pure XYZ user, so including this Tuner may seem meaningless because there aren’t any Phantom Knight Synchro monsters…but were there Synchro monsters that are similar and work well with his archetype?

“So your dragon put a useless card in my deck?” Yuto asked, getting irked at Zarc.

_“Not exactly. I had a feeling you would get mad at the change Clear Wing made, so I snuck a new Synchro card into your Extra Deck. I hope it fits with your whole knight theme.”_

Yuto took out his Extra Deck to see where this card was and found it next to Dark Rebellion. He grabbed it to analyze its stats; it was Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth, a Level 6 EARTH Warrior-Type Synchro monster with 2600 ATK and 800 DEF. It doesn’t have any effects, but like most Synchros, it requires one Tuner and one or more non-Tuners in order to Synchro Summon it.

“But why this Tuner?” Yuto asked. “She doesn’t seem to fit with any of my Phantom Knights.”

“Well a Duelist’s deck reflects his or her personality, kinda like my Frightfur Fusions,” Sora said. “And that Tuner could reflect how you see your girlfriend.”

He was right; the Phantom Knights reflect on how chivalrous, noble, and gentlemanly Yuto had become over the years. With Lady of the Lake still in his hand, he analyzed her stats to see how it reminds him of Lulu. She was a Level 1 LIGHT Aqua-Type Tuner monster with 200 ATK and 1800 DEF. She can’t be used as Synchro Material unless the Synchro monster is a Warrior-Type; in this case, she gets banished. If she was normal summoned, she can target a Noble Knight monster in the Graveyard and special summoned it to the field. If she was in the Graveyard, she can target a Level 5 Noble Knight monster, decrease its Level by 1, and special summon it to the field.

Seeing all of the card’s information and image, there was something about her made drew parallels to Lulu. They both possess natural beauty from their long, luscious hair to the clothes they wear. Their personalities also weren’t so different; they may be sweethearts, but they are quite strong. Lady of the Lake’s Level, ATK, and effects reflect on Lulu’s usage of the Lyriluscs where they rely on powerful effects and how Duelists shouldn’t judge the low Levels and low ATK. Yuto blushed due to the realization, making Zarc chuckle.

_“That’s Clear Wing for you. She’s fierce and pretty powerful, but she’s a huge romantic at heart.”_

“So do you think you can figure out a new strategy?” Yuya asked Yuto.

“I think so,” Yuto answered. “But for now, we need to figure out how I can participate in the Magic and Wizards tournament.”

“Maybe we could talk to some of the employees,” Yoko suggested. “Someone here could register you as an official participant.”

The Sakaki-Osaku family searched for any employees that were in charge of managing the tournament to see if Yuto is capable of qualifying. Luckily for them, they found a women dressed in black and silver.

“I see,” the employee said. “So you wish to join this year’s Magic and Wizards tournament.”

“Of course,” Yuto replied.

“Normally we don’t let guests take part in these tournaments due to the possibility of serious injury,” the employee said. “But if the Queen gave you permission, I suppose we can make an exception. We did only manage to find three participants this year, so including you should even things out.”

“Thank you,” Yuto said with a slight bow. The Queen did mention about how him and Ashley can save their dispute for the tournament, so he was glad to know exceptions can be made.

“So may I please see your magic caster?” the employee asked. “I must make it tournament-legal.”

“Huh?” Yuya asked.

“I think she means she wants to program the Magic and Wizards guidelines into my Duel Disk,” Yuto explained, taking out his Duel Disk and giving it to the employee.

Since it was programmed to follow the rules to Duel Monsters, it would lead to a high probability of him receiving alerts of him “breaking the rules”. For example, using Fusion, Synchro, and XYZ monsters like regular normal/effect monsters would cause the ERROR notification to appear on his Duel Disk, much like how Yuya couldn’t Pendulum Summon during his duel against Zuzu.

“Thank you for your corporation,” the employee said, returning the Duel Disk to Yuto. “I will register your wizard ID code into my magic mirror. The tournament will begin in a few hours, so I would suggest you to prepare your wizardry skills.”

Yuto nodded as he put his Duel Disk away; with only a few hours left, he needed to figure out strategies he can use that revolve around the Magic and Wizards rules. To pass the time, he accompanied his aunt and cousins and saw various performances.

During a show featuring two jugglers who use fire, Yuto thought about what Zarc said about Magic and Wizards. He could normal summon any monster he wants and make up special abilities during duels. But what could he say? And what about his dueling code of honor? He still wants to show mercy to his opponent and finish them off as only a last resort, but how could he do that if there’s still corrupting darkness inside him?

“Uh… Yuto?” Yuya asked. “Earth to Yuto?”

“Hmm?” Yuto mused, snapping out of his thoughts.

“You alright?” Yuya asked.

“Sort of,” Yuto admitted. “I feel a bit unsure about these new rules.”

_“You got this, Yuto. You have all of my kindness and compassion. I know you’ll show that jerk of a knight the true code of nobility.”_

“Zarc’s right,” Yuya agreed. “You can defeat this Knight of the Duel Disk.”

“But what if I lose control?” Yuto asked. He clutched his chest near his heart, much like when Odd-Eyes and Dark Rebellion spoke to each other for the first time. “I can’t stand that fake knight, but I can’t let my rage control me.”

Even though Zarc redeemed himself by bringing back the Original Dimension and splitting into his reincarnations again, there could be potential side effects to the amount of trauma Yuto had to endure, with rage being one of them. He was worried it could occur in random bursts like when he and the dueling club discussed with Declan about the effects of someone being merged with their counterparts or a gradually increasing darkness similar to the Awakened state.

“Then don’t use Dark Rebellion in the tournament,” Yuya suggested. “Besides, don’t you have any other Rank 4 cards you could use?”

“Just one,” Yuto answered. “Cairngorgon, Antiluminescent Knight, but I don’t use it a lot.”

“Perfect!” Yuya said. “As long as you use that card, you won’t have to worry about losing control.”

With their dragons’ strong connections with each other still intact, Yuya figured this would cause a repeat of their Awakened states whenever he and his counterparts brought them out. The lingering spirit of Zarc overheard this decision and he couldn’t help but feel guilty about what his Pendulum reincarnation settled on. He even heard remorseful sounds coming from Odd-Eyes and Dark Rebellion. He knew Dark Rebellion would love to take part in a Magic and Wizards duel, but it didn’t seem like that would happen after all.

A few hours later, the annual Magic and Wizards tournament was about to begin as the Faire attendees walked inside the arena to get themselves concessions and claim their seats. Due to Yuto taking part in the tournament, the Sakakis (and Sora) were given special seating arrangements.

“I hope Yuto knows what he’s doing,” Sora said.

“He’s going to be alright,” Yuya replied. “Yuto’s not only noble. He’s calm. He would never panic during things like this.”

Ironically, Yuto was pacing around backstage, panicking at what was about to happen shortly. He would normally remain calm in most situations, but in this one, he was taking part in a tournament that involves Duel Monsters’ predecessor—a card game that he has never played before, mind you—and plans to face off against a formerly carded disgrace of a knight.

_“I don’t think listening to Yuya’s advice is a good idea. I heard Dark Rebel-”_

“Will you shut up?!” Yuto snapped, his eyes briefly glowing periwinkle. “How am I supposed to keep up with a card game where everyone makes up rules?!”

_“Look, I told you that the person with the biggest imagination wins. Just say your monsters are completely invincible to your opponent’s cards and you should be fine.”_

Invincible? Wasn’t that a little overpowered? Well, “little” is an understatement because the Phantom Knights would become as strong as—if not, stronger than—a rumored “forbidden” monster, one that supposedly required five cards needed for an automatic win. Yuto wondered what else his Phantom Knights can be used for with his imagination. He then pictured each monster and took note on how a lot of them resembled an article of clothing, mainly armor. A realization popped into his head; with a selected few taking form of different body parts such as Break Sword and Cloven Helm, was it possible for them to become a single Phantom Knight? Was it possible for them to combine or even equip to each other? With Magic and Wizards, the Duelist’s imagination was limitless, so it may seem Yuto may have an idea on how to beat Ashley and demonstrate to him on what it means to be a true knight.

“First up is Sir Kingsley of Heathen vs. Sir Yuto of Obsidian!”

“Wait, I’m not dueling the imposter first?” Yuto asked aloud.

_“Looks like it. But don’t worry. If you win this round, you can face off against him in the finals.”_

Yuto wasn’t sure who this Kingsley person is, but he was certain he has to make it through the tournament and reach the finals. He knew Ashley was strong enough to make into the Junior Youth division’s Battle Royale finales in the Arc League Championship, landing in the Top 16 position, so this would surely be one tough duel he was going to face. With that in mind, he decided to save his Phantom Knights equip tactic for when he does face off against the disgraceful, dishonorable jerk of a knight.

Upon stepping onto the arena, Yuto was greeted by the knight who was apparently Kingsley. “So you’re Sir Yuto of Obsidian,” he said. “I suppose the Obsidian family is whom you swore allegiance to.”

“It is,” Yuto replied. “Especially the family’s princess.”

“Well that princess must be lucky to have you,” Kingsley said. “With that face, you could woo any girl of choice.”

Did…that sound like a compliment? If it was, then at least Yuto might have found a worthy opponent to kick off the tournament. “Thank you,” he said, adjusting his glasses as he smirked. “I do have such handsome features.”

Once again, Yuto’s habit of letting a single comment about how nice his appearance was feeding his ego was making itself known. The last time he did that was when he realized Yuya was right about how wearing glasses with a suit makes him look like a sharp businessman. Needless to say, Yuya ended up face-palming.

“Was Yuto always this egotistical?” Sora asked.

“Yes,” Yuya explained. “I’m not sure why, but he likes being praised for his looks.”

Sora let out a small laugh. “Kinda sounds like he knows he’s the handsome one compared to you, Yugo, and Yuri.”

But before Yuya could respond, the tournament was about to begin. “Are the knights ready?” the Queen asked.

Yuto and Kingsley got in position on opposite sides of the arena. “Yes, your majesty,” Kingsley replied, bowing slightly as he activated his Duel Disk and prompting Yuto to do the same.

“Then let the West Kingdom’s annual Magic and Wizards tournament commence!” the Queen announced.

The two knights drew their five starting cards, started out with 2000 LP, and shouted, “Let’s duel!” to signal the beginning of the tournament. Yuto glanced at his hand. He was starting off with The Phantom Knights of Lost Vambrace, The Phantom Knights of Wrong Magnetring, Call of the Haunted, The Phantom Knights of Ancient Cloak, and Lady of the Lake. Since he was going first, he decided to go with his signature opening move, then try out his new Synchro technique.

“I set three cards face down and end my turn,” Yuto announced, setting his three traps face down. “Your move.”

Kingsley was rather puzzled on why Yuto would play three face downs on the first turn. Doesn’t he know that leaves him vulnerable for a direct attack? What was he planning?

“Very well, young knight,” Kingsley said. He drew a card to start his turn. “For my first turn, I shall bring forth Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus! And with the support of Gwenhwyfar, Queen of Noble Arm, she shall grant her strength to her beloved king!”

A flash of light appeared from the ground that looked similar to the Overlay Network yet was far different from it. King Artorigus and Gwenhwyfar both flew out from it and onto the field; they were respectively a Rank 5 LIGHT Warrior-Type XYZ monster with 2200 ATK and DEF and a Level 2 LIGHT Spellcaster-Type monster with 300 ATK and DEF. Normally, they would use their given effects, but that was not the case in Magic and Wizards; in turn, this gave Yuto a better understanding of the card game now that he was witnessing and playing it. It was something similar to an RPG game where you can summon creatures, cast spells, and initiate traps while also declaring attacks. Well, technically speaking, it’s basically an RPG in the form of a card game.

“So you’re treating Gwenhwyfar as a Spell card,” Yuto observed.

“Precisely,” Kingsley replied. “As you can see, she is chanting a spell on King Artorigus so her attack points are transferred to him. Isn’t it quite a lovely sight?”

Yuto glanced at his new Tuner. “I have seen prettier maidens,” he answered, thinking about Lulu. After thinking about the realization a few hours ago, he was admittedly glad that Zarc gave him this Tuner. Sure Gwenhwyfar looks cute, but Lady of the Lake was absolutely beautiful. The Phantom Knights user knew that even though his new Tuner was part of the Noble Knight archetype, he was going to make her shine bright among his Phantom Knights.

“Now King Artorigus, attack Yuto directly!” Kingsley commanded.

“I don’t think so,” Yuto said. “I activate the Trap card Phantom Knights of Wrong Magnetring to shield myself from your king’s attack!”

Wrong Magnetring is a Normal Trap card that becomes a Level 2 DARK Warrior-Type monster with 0 ATK and DEF when activated; it is special summoned in attack position as the declared attack is negated, which is exactly what it did.

“I see,” Kingsley said. “Then I suppose that will end my turn.”

“Very well,” Yuto said. “My turn.” He drew a card, which was The Phantom Knights of Mist Claws. “And I’ll start things off with The Phantom Knights of Ancient Cloak in defense position.”

Kingsley was confused. “A monster with only 800 attack points?” he asked. “Is that the best you could do?”

“Not quite,” Yuto said. He revealed the Tuner in his hand. “I call upon the Lady of the Lake! Arise from the loveliest of waters, fairest maiden!”

As the light illuminated in response to the card being played, water bubbled on the floor and gushed out and up into the air as the Lady of the Lake soared out from it and landed in her monster zone.

Kingsley was surprised. “The Lady of the Lake?!” he asked. “How did you obtain such a card?!”

“Just a little something from a friend,” Yuto answered. “But I didn’t call upon her because of her radiant beauty. Lady of the Lake, use your lovely song to revive Ancient Cloak back into its original glory!”

Lady of the Lake placed Noble Arm - Excaliburn into the ground to clap her hands together and sing her melody. The harmonic tune of her song caused a wave to materialize and head towards Ancient Cloak; at the same time, gusts of wind encircled around it and sucked the surrounding water, creating a waterspout that encased the monster in it to help transform back to its original appearance.

“Now return to the realm of the living, Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth!” Yuto exclaimed.

The waterspout grew bigger and stronger until it exploded, unleashing water and wind across the field that engulfed and “vaporized” Level 1 Lady of the Lake and Level 2 Wrong Magnetring; standing in Level 3 Ancient Cloak’s place was the Level 6 Synchro monster: Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth.

“My god…” Kingsley said, alarmed. “You really are quite a powerful knight. He’s stronger than my comrade!”

“There’s more,” Yuto continued. “When Gaia Knight is brought out onto the field, he can equip a sword from my deck. And I think I’ll have him wield Phantom Knights’ Sword to increase his strength by 800.”

The Continuous Trap card was ejected from the deck and Yuto took it out to activate it. Phantom Knights’ Sword appeared from the enlarged rendition of said card and dashed over to Gaia Knight’s free hand, who grabbed it and raised his ATK from 2600 to 3400.

“Now Gaia Knight, attack King Artorigus!” Yuto declared. “Specter Strike Slash!”

The Synchro knight used his horse to gallop towards the XYZ king, firmly grasping onto Phantom Knights’ Sword and slashing through him, destroying the monster and bringing Kingsley LP down to a shocking 900.

“Such power…” Kingsley remarked. “I have never seen a boy this young be at the same dueling level as a professional Duelist!”

“I have left you with enough life points to survive this turn,” Yuto said, standing tall and showing no fear. “If you surrender now, I may show mercy.”

“Not a chance,” Kingsley replied. “I must see more of your power!”

“Very well,” Yuto said. “I chain Gaia Knight’s attack with Call of the Haunted, allowing me to retrieve The Phantom Knights of Ancient Cloak from my Graveyard. And by equipping The Phantom Knights of Mist Claws to Ancient Cloak, it can inflict an additional 400 points worth of damage.”

“So it seems you have won this round,” Kingsley said. “I applaud you for the performance.”

“Thank you, fellow knight,” Yuto replied with a satisfied smile. “Now go, Phantom Knights of Ancient Cloak! Ensure my victory with a direct attack!”

Ancient Cloak charged towards Kingsley and unleashed its signature attack, dwindling his remaining Life Points down to 0 and ensuring Yuto an easy victory.

“And there you have it!” the tournament hostess announced. “The winner of the first round is Sir Yuto of Obsidian! Young knight, please head backstage to prepare for the finals.”

Yuto gave out his chivalrous comments to Kingsley about how he enjoyed their duel and how he wishes to see each other again for another match with someone as noble as him before heading backstage. During that time, he watched the next rounds of the tournament to see who will be advancing; as he expected, Ashley was there and he was doing surprisingly well…for an unkinghtly knight, that is.

_“Well someone hasn’t changed their dueling style.”_

“I know,” Yuto agreed. “He’s still using the same Assault Knight card he used on Yuya and Shay.” He tightly clenched his fists. “But those tactics go against everything a true knight is.”

_“Then how about you teach that guy a lesson? Maybe with a certain purple-scaled dragon?”_

“But using Dark Rebellion is too risky,” Yuto disagreed. “I want to defeat him with true honor.”

_“But I keep telling you that won’t work. A bully like him deserves to be punished-”_

“I don’t care!” Yuto interrupted. “Let me defeat him my way.”

From the moment he first “saw” him during the Junior Youth Battle Royale finals, he could tell their was a huge difference between the two archetypes. The Phantom Knights may have the word “knight” in their archetype, but they weren’t part of the Knight archetype. They visually represented flaming ghosts, armor, and weapons while named that relate to disrepair, disuse, emptiness, darkness, death, and mistake; however, through Graveyard manipulation, banishment, Spell/Trap card searches, and the support from their XYZ companions, their playing style reflect on what knights truly represent. Slash the Assault Knight was part of the massive Knight archetype, a group of monsters that share the same gallant, heroic, and courageous personality as Yuto and his Phantom Knights, but what makes Slash different from all of them lies within its name and effect. It assaults its opponents with direct attacks and reduces any receiving battle damage to 0; this shows how Ashley, Bram, Carl, and Chalac neglect this important conduct as the Knights of the Duel Disk.

“A true knight is never that reckless,” Yuto said. “Shay and Yuya nearly got hurt because of that same recklessness. Those false knights aren’t knights at all. They’re nothing more than bullies.”

_“That’s exactly what I said! You should punish him for being reckless!”_

“And give in to the same violent tactics?” Yuto asked in response. “That would go against everything I believe in.”

This act was the epitome of Yuto’s personality for the past several years and this dilemma he was currently facing was basically challenging it. How can he punish Ashley for his recklessness while still cherishing his beliefs without facing the risk of Awakening again?

“And the winner is Sir Ashley of the Duel Disk!”

_“Okay Yuto. If you feel that strongly about not wanting to use Dark Rebellion, I won’t interfere.”_

“Thank you,” Yuto said, using his Duel Disk to give his deck a quick shuffle.

“Now will Sir Yuto of Obsidian join Sir Ashley of the Duel Disk for the tournament finals?”

Yuto let out an exhale once his deck was done shuffling. He got up from where he was sitting and headed towards the doorway that leads to the backstage. Opening the door, he walked out and trailed himself back towards the arena, where he saw Ashley still standing where he was from his previous duel.

“You look rather familiar,” Ashley remarked. “Have we met?”

“No,” Yuto answered. “But you met my cousin.”

“Cousins…?” Ashley said. Then he noticed the resemblance. “You’re related to Yuya Sakaki.”

“Correct,” Yuto responded as he activated his Duel Disk, not bowing like he did in his previous duel. “But I saw what you did to him. I won’t forgive you from hurting him!”

“Hurting him?” Ashley repeated. “I did no such thing. I was merely sparring with my fellow comrades. He only got in the way.”

“Liar!” Yuto exclaimed. He winced as he clutched his chest, feeling a stabbing feeling in his heart. “You and your friends purposely 'sparred’ next to him! You thought that by injuring him with your monsters’ blades would leave him in no condition to continue the Battle Royale! I…ugh… I refuse to let you leave unpunished!”

Deep within the recesses of Yuto’s mind, Zarc could see something was off about him. He hasn’t seen him this mad in all of his life; could this be a random burst of rage or something worse? He wished he could help his XYZ reincarnation out and warn him about what may happen if this boiling rage becomes too strong for him to bear, but because he states how he wasn’t going to interfere, he had no choice but to watch this train wreck unfold. He honestly wasn’t sure how he should feel about this situation once it blows over, but he was clearly concerned about everything that was leading up to this unfortunate turn of events.

“Now then, are the knights ready?” the Queen asked.

“Of course, your majesty,” Ashley replied, bowing as he activated his Duel Disk.

“S-Sure…” Yuto muttered, his Duel Disk already activated. Why was his vision getting worse even with his glasses on?

“Then let the tournament finale commence!” the Queen declared.

The two knights drew their five cards and shouted “Let’s duel!” to signal the start of the finals, with each of them beginning with 2000 LP. Ashley declared that he will be making the first move.

“I shall start things off with Slash the Assault Knight!” Ashley announced. “And because he was summoned on the first turn, he’s allowed to inflict effect damage to your life points equal to his strength!”

At the time of the Arc League Championship, Slash’s ATK, DEF, Attribute, Type, and Level was unknown; however, as it raised its sword and slashed out a luminescent purple blast, it took out a huge chunk of Yuto’s Life Points, leaving him with only 500 left. The direct attack was strong enough to knock his light gray glasses off, worsening his already-blurry vision.

“I will have to end my turn,” Ashley informed Yuto. “But know this: it doesn’t matter which monster you summon. My Assault Knight will still attack you directly, allowing me to win this duel.”

“We’ll see about that,” Yuto said, feeling even more angry at the imposter knight. He drew a card. He was holding The Phantom Knights of Ragged Gloves, The Phantom Knights of Silent Boots, Phantom Knights’ Fog Blade, The Phantom Knights’ Rank-Up-Magic Launch, and Phantom Knights’ Spear. If he could time his cards just right, he should be able to bring out his Antiluminescent Knight before the end of his turn. He smiled confidently, ignoring the already-worsening pain inside him.

“I told you, there is nothing you can do!” Ashley taunted. “Even if you get rid of Slash, I still have plenty of Assault Knights in my deck! I’ll simply bring out another one to finish you off during my next turn!”

Yuto winced in pain. “Laugh all you want, imposter knight,” he said. “But I am a true knight.”

“So what?” Ashley asked. “It’s not like anyone cares. All they want is a good show, and a good show is what they shall have!”

_“It’s not like anyone cares…”_

Those five words that spilled out of Ashley’s mouth echoed in Yuto’s head, except instead of subsiding into silence like most echoes do, it kept ringing and repeating over and over, increasing in speed and volume until it hit a certain point where it all came crashing down. Where a nerve has been struck. Where the rage became too much to control.

His opponent had unleashed the beast from its cage.

“GAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!”

The Sakakis were alarmed to see Yuto in such pain as he dropped his Duel Disk and the cards in his hand. “Yuto!” Yuya called out. “You have to control it!”

“I can’t!” Yuto exclaimed, slowly losing consciousness as dark purple scales appeared on his body. “I- GAAAAHHHH!”

As he screamed out with all the energy left in his conscious, the dark purple scales completely covered his body, which was gaining some new and monstrous features in his werewolf-esque transformation. Wings pierced through and ruined his armor and sprouted from his back, his hands and feet became claw-like, the color of his eggplant hair turned darker, and once the transformation was complete, his eyes flashed open and glowed yellow. This unexpected form’s appearance was parallel to Zarc’s revived look, but it was more of an XYZ variant of it. Much like how his incarnation became Supreme King Dragon Z-ARC through Astrograph Sorcerer’s effect, the intense struggle of maintaining his heated anger turned Yuto into a creature who looked like he fused with Dark Requiem XYZ Dragon.

Everyone was surprised, especially the Sakakis. “Yuto…?” Yuya muttered.

_“I tried to warn him. Repressing all that built-up rage can lead to some disastrous results.”_

“Wait, that was his doing?” Yuya asked.

_“Dark Rebellion was getting anxious to fight that poor excuse of a knight. So when Yuto refused to use him, he kinda…came out on his own.”_

But, if this was Dark Rebellion’s doing, then why does Yuto bear Dark Requiem’s physical traits? Did his heated fury cause his ace to…Rank-Up? Just as Yuya was processing what happened, he witnessed his cousin activating Dark Requiem’s first of two effects since Dark Rebellion used himself as an Overlay Unit. By detaching himself, he reduces the opposing monster’s ATK to 0 as he gains ATK equal to the target’s. With Slash the Assault Knight having 1500 ATK, it will increase the dragon’s strength up to 4500, giving Yuto an OTK win.

“Do you really think your little costume change can scare me?” Ashley asked.

The Dark Requiem-Yuto hybrid looked like he was charging towards Slash, but he skyrocketed up in the air instead before stopping and extending his wings. Light illuminated from them and revealed what resembled stained glass windows on each wing; he slowly opened his mouth to let out a growl as his chin started to glow. Within mere seconds, he bolted towards Ashley’s monster to finish his signature attack: Dark Destruction.

When the dust cleared, Ashley was laying down on the ground and his Duel Disk appeared to have been pierced. But despite this victory, everyone in the audience was stunned.

“The winner is…Sir Yuto of Obsidian?” the tournament hostess announced, confused with what just happened.

With the duel now over, the hybrid’s Dark Requiem features began to disappear. The stained-glass “feathers” withered away as the wings shrunk back into his back, the claws transformed back into human nails on his hands and feet, and the darker dual-colored hair lightened up its tint, immediately followed by the light purple bangs falling down and covering his forehead and eyes—which have faded from yellow back to golden-yellow—due to being covered in sweat from trying to restrain himself from his anger. Yuto was back to normal, but as he was trying to remember what had happened, silence continued to fill the arena.

Realization sunk in as Yuto saw Ashley laying on the ground. “What have I done…?” he asked aloud. He fell to his knees, his hand covering his face as tears started to fall from his eyes. “WHAT HAVE I DONE?!”

After a few minutes of silence, the King stood from his throne. “I’m not quite sure what had happened, but I wish for Sir Yuto to stand before me.”

“Wait, your highness!” Yuya exclaimed, standing up from his seat. “My cousin had every right to be angry at Ashley.” He activated a holographic projection from his Duel Disk. “Everything he said was true. The Knights of the Duel Disk are more like bullies than real knights.”

The holographic projection displayed a moment from the Arc League Championship. As Yuya was explaining Shay about what happened, Ashley, Bram, and Carl deliberately interrupted them with their duel. They figured they would surround Shay and have the three Slashs’ attacks and effects hit him as a way to not get penalized; with Yuya also caught in the fray, he felt the physical harm of them by getting blown away from one of the attack’s force. The two didn’t want to duel these “knights” because doing so would result in an intrusion penalty and would lead them to lose 2000 LP. Even so, the three purposefully unleashing attacks with 0 damage just to injure Shay and Yuya wasn’t part of being knightly, which was why Yuto despises them.

“You see?” Yuya asked. “The Knights of the Duel Disk are nothing more than Duelists who use cheap tactics to win. So if you’re gonna punish anyone, punish the false knight, not Yuto. He’s noble, loyal, and has a big heart, making him a true knight.”

“I know, young prince,” the King said. “I suspected Sir Ashley was some kind of trickster, so I wish to award Sir Yuto with the greatest treasure in all the land for not only winning the tournament, but for also punishing a wicked person.”

However, Yuto was too broken to even stand up. “I’m not a knight…” he muttered under his breath, sobbing hard. “I’m nothing more than a mere beast…”

Yuya turned off the holographic image. “Come on, cuz!” he encouraged. “Stand up and accept your reward!”

“I can’t!” Yuto snapped, his eyes glowing periwinkle. “I don’t even deserve to call myself a knight!”

“That’s not true, Sir Yuto,” the King said. “I have witnessed a lot of knights take part in this tournament, but I have never encountered a soul as brave as yours. You have the heart of a true champion and a soul that is courageous and true. In another time, you could have been a great king such as myself.”

Yuto removed his hand from his face. “Me…? A king…?” he asked, looking up as his eyes stopped glowing.

Yuya approached Yuto and knelt next to him, picking up his glasses. “So whaddya say?” the tomato-haired teen asked, moving his cousin’s bangs away from his eyes and putting his glasses back on him. “Ready to accept this great treasure?”

Yuto simply stared back at Yuya, with a much clearer vision now that his glasses were on and his bangs weren’t covering his eyes. Was it really true that he could have been a king? A brave, powerful, genuine, and tenacious king? Despite transforming into whatever he had become? If that was the case, then he could be a king…to Lulu’s queen.

Yuto picked up his cards and Duel Disk, strapping it to his left wrist as he stood up. “Very well,” he said. He smiled softly at his cousin. “Thanks Yuya.”

Yuya pulled Yuto in for a one-armed hug. “Don’t mention it,” he said. “Now go get that treasure.”

Yuto adjusted his glasses and walked over to where the King and Queen were sitting; behind them was a chest, which housed the greatest treasure in all the land.

“Behold, the greatest treasure in all the land!” the King announced, prompting a Faire employee to open the chest on his behalf.

The treasure was none other than a golden sword with a thick, sky blue lining along the blade and a sky blue gem encrusted on said blade.

“The greatest treasure is a sword?” Yuto asked.

“Not just any sword,” the King explained. “This is the Sword of Nobles. Only knights with the purest of hearts can wield it.”

“And you’re…giving it to me?” Yuto asked.

“Of course,” the King answered. “It’s yours to keep. Think of it as a reminder of how worthy you truly are.”

“Now why don’t you pick it up and accept your destiny as a noble knight?” the Queen asked. “I’m certain that the family you are loyal to would be proud to see what you have accomplished.”

Family he’s loyal to? Was she mentioning…the Obsidians? With his eyes lock onto the sword, it was starting to become clear for Yuto. This sword was being given to him because he inherits the qualities of a true knight: nobility, loyalty, chivalry, purity, bravery, heroism, and courage. These were all part of his gentlemanly personality, which was why Lulu probably fell in love with him in the first place. As a result, it led to Kameron and Astra arranging their future marriage, giving him a job offer, and letting him live with them until he has an official plan for his future. They knew from the moment their daughter talked about how she met him that he was a perfect fit for her; their discussion must have occurred after the school day had ended.

This quickly led to the realization that the Obsidians were actually a really nice family, whether they were out in public or staying at their house. He had let his fears and worries about not being able to fit into an elite environment cloud his mind, but his core personality generally remained unaffected. Perhaps he can find living with Lulu and Shay to be quite the learning experience; it never hurts to pick up some tips about being in a high class society. He may need them when he sets off on his own journey, after all. If there was one thing clear about this journey, it was still under construction, but him marrying his girlfriend was definitely going to be something to look forward to.

With newfound confidence in his eyes, Yuto picked up the sword. “I, Sir Yuto Osaku of the Obsidians, accept this gift,” he told the King and Queen. He felt the urge to kneel, but he refused. If he was going to start blending in with the rich and elite, he had to stop belittling himself.

_“Yeah, but next time Dark Rebellion is anxious to fight someone, please use him in a duel. He seems to have developed the same code of honor you have.”_

“Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the winner of this year’s Magic and Wizards tournament: Sir Yuto Osaku of the Obsidians!” the King announced.

Yuto presented himself to the crowd and raised his newly-gifted sword in the air, leading to everyone—now having an understanding as to why he transformed thanks to Zarc—cheered for their new champion. With his newfound confidence and self-esteem, he knew he was finally ready to begin his new life among the rich and elite.


	6. Moving Out and Starting Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yugo and Rin adjust to their own lives, but Rin is still upset about the Ray reveal. Luckily Yugo has just the thing to cheer her up...

While the Sakakis (and Yuto) were attending the Faire, Yugo was getting dressed for the day. He was already wearing his Turbo Duel suit and he has finished finger-combing a small amount of gel into his hair. After sweeping his bangs into the usual banana-shaped style, he smiled confidently.

“Alright,” Yugo said, looking at his reflection. “My outfit’s nice and clean and my hair looks as cool as ever.” He winked. “Now to begin my new life with my own body.”

It felt like forever since the last time he was at the orphanage, and after the Original Dimension’s return, it still looked the same. Of course, the only difference was that his room is now inhabited by a slightly-changed Yugo. His personality remained the same, but his appearance had a single alteration: his eye color had changed from aquamarine to yellow to match Clear Wing Synchro Dragon’s eyes. He really liked the different hue his eyes received. He still couldn’t believe how clean he looked, which he didn’t mind at all; for someone growing up in a low class section of New Domino City, looking cleaner than normal was quite surprising. It’s been like this ever since his sleepover with Rin two days ago. Speaking of which, he decided to check in on her to see if she was also done getting ready for the day.

After a few minutes later, Yugo arrived at Rin’s room and knocked on the door. “Hey RinRin!” he cheerfully announced. “Ready to pick up where we left off?”

However, a loud sob was heard from behind the door. “…Rin?” Yugo asked. “You alright?”

“Go away!” Rin sobbed. “I don’t care who you are, just leave me alone!”

Alarmed, Yugo opened the door. “Rin!” he exclaimed, panicked. “What’s wrong?!”

Seeing before his very eyes was Rin lying on her bed, her face hiding on top of her pillow as she cried. He has never seen her so upset before; they now got their bodies back, so what exactly happened to make her depressed?

“Look, if this is about what happened with Ray, I’m sorry,” Yugo said, entering Rin’s room and sitting next to her. “It’s probably gonna take a while for you to recover, but-”

“You don’t understand!” Rin sobbed, sitting up to look at Yugo. “I didn’t lose just my body! I nearly lost all my memories!”

Yugo was taken back by that outburst. “Your memories?” he asked.

“After losing consciousness in that machine, I thought I might think about all the time we spent together, our happiest memories,” Rin explained. “But then…there was this flash of neon green light and…” She choked out a sob. “Everything was gone in an instant. I couldn’t remember my name, my identity, or even you. That machine must’ve erased every single one of my memories and there was nothing I could do to recover them.

"But when Zuzu was revived, everything came back. All of those forgotten memories were instantly recovered. And yet…” Rin choked out another sob. “I’m not sure why I’m like this. Do I duel because I want to, or is it because Ray was a Duelist herself?” She closed her eyes, tears dripping from her eyelashes. “Yugo…what am I?”

She just wasn’t sure anymore; learning there are three other girls who share the same face as her was crazy enough, but discovering they were all part of Leo’s daughter was actually scary. They nearly got amnesia when they were forcibly fused back into Ray in order to power up ARC-V; if it weren’t for Zuzu’s revival, they wouldn’t have a single clue about their origins in their respective dimensions or their individual identities. Even so, it only delayed the mind merge, which was intensely horrifying because she and her counterparts were nearly wiped away from existence as their minds were merging back into Ray at an alarming rate. They were all lucky everything worked out in the end, but Rin couldn’t stop thinking about her identity crisis. All her life, she was but a young teenage girl who grew up as a Commoner and had a tough personality yet saw beauty in everything, but everything changed when Yuri kidnapped her from out of the blue, not long after the Invasion of Heartland City.

Yugo stood up. “Well I’ll tell ya what you are,” he said. He opened the closet in her room, revealing her numerous outfits. “You’re New Domino’s resident fashion plate. Sure you couldn’t afford the more expensive outfits, but if it was cute and comfortable-looking, you’d buy it.” He let out a chuckle. “I know how much you love to shop, but it was kinda why we had to build a Duel Runner from scratch.”

What he means by that is they needed to save up enough money to find parts to build their Duel Runner. They didn’t had a whole lot of wealth to begin with, but Rin had to put off shopping at the donation center for a little while so that she could help out with searching and purchasing the necessary parts. Prior to Duel Academy’s interference with the Doktor’s Fusion Parasite, that Duel Runner was the biggest project they did together and he had treasured it ever since it was completed because it was a token of their friendship.

“But that’s not all,” Yugo continued. He picked up Rin’s deck and took out her two Crystal Bells. “You’ve still got these two cards in your deck.”

Rin opened her eyes. “My Crystal Bells?”

“I’m aware that you and the other girls ripped up the Fusion Parasites in your decks,” Yugo explained as he sat next to her again. “But while they also ripped up the Fusion cards they got because of those nasty bugs, you didn’t. You held on to them.”

“Only because they fit so well with my Windwitches,” Rin said, smiling slightly.

“Exactly,” Yugo said. “That’s what makes you different from the other Ray girls. If you see a card that fits with your burn style, you’d tend to keep it, even if it was originally created for evil purposes.” He put the cards back in her deck and placed it on her nightstand. “But I’m not done. I can think of a couple more things that make you unique.”

“Like what?” Rin asked.

Yugo picked up a hairbrush on Rin’s nightstand and started brushing her hair. “You’re cute,” he said. “Practically the cutest girl I know. You’ve got big eyes, a sweet voice, and super adorable curls. Not to mention the prettiest giggle I ever heard.”

Rin let out a small laugh after hearing that. “Yeah, just like that!” Yugo cheerfully said. “It’s those features that make you different compared to your counterparts with longer hair.” He finished brushing Rin’s hair and placed the hairbrush back on her nightstand. “But most importantly: you’re the one I fell in love with.”

Rin was taken back by the sudden confession. “You love me?” she asked.

“‘Course I do,” Yugo answered. “All of those unique traits are what made me fall in love with you. I didn’t realize it until I started traveling to different dimension lookin’ for you.” He held her hands and looked at her straight in the eye. “So as part of our new lives, how would you like to be my girlfriend?”

Rin never knew he felt this way about her ever since he went looking for her. She always felt like the two were childhood friends, but it looks like there might be more to their relationship. Sure Yugo may be loud, rude, and quick-tempered with a bit of perverted tendencies, but he’s loyal, energetic, goofy or cute at times, and an overall kind person at heart. Smiling softly, she planted a kiss on his forehead, feeling his blonde bangs on her lips. His eyes widened in joy from the brief contact.

“Of course, you moron,” Rin said. “I’ll be your girlfriend.”

“Great!” Yugo said, sounding happier than usual. “Now how 'bout you get dressed and meet me in my room? I’ve got a huge surprise I wanna show you.”

As he left her room to go back to his, Rin went to her closet to pick out new attire; she wore her usual one for a while and wanted to try out another one for a change. She settled on a short-sleeved, knee-length, light blue dress with pink linings on the sleeves, shoulders, and from the center of her chest to the collar line where the gold buttons were, pink pockets located where each breast was, and a pink string bow with two gold beads around the waist. She also sported a pair of black low-heeled sandals and a pink flower hair clip that she has ever since she was a child.

Upon arriving at Yugo’s room, Rin was surprised to see a lot of numerous boxes in his room. “Uh… Yugo?” the Windwitch user asked. “What’s with all the boxes?”

“I’ll tell ya why,” Yugo explained. He held up a booklet. “There’s this old clock shop in New Domino called Poppo Time and right next to it is an unoccupied apartment-slash-garage.” He pointed at a building next to the clock shop. “That, RinRin, is gonna be our new home.”

“New home?” Rin asked. “Does that mean…?”

“Exactly,” Yugo said. “We’re finally movin’ out and gettin’ our own home!”

Rin never expected that day to come; heck, she never thought about it at all. She enjoyed living in the orphanage all her life, but the fact they can now move to a new home in the Commons was surprising news. They can finally have their own individual spaces in Poppo Time’s apartment and use the garage for Duel Runner constructions, tests, and repairs.

However, Rin looked at the booklet. Her eyes widened when she saw the price. “20,000 yen?!” she read. “Yugo, we’re broke! We don’t have that much money!”

“I know,” Yugo said. “But I made some new friends while I searched for you. There were some people like Aster Phoenix and Kite Tenjo, but the guy we’re gonna see should help us provide the money we need to live at the place.”

Rin was a little curious as to what he’s referring to, but before she knew it, she was running out the door with Yugo, who was heading to the nearest bus stop from the orphanage. “Where are we going?” she asked.

“The Leo Institute,” Yugo answered. “There’s a guy there named Sylvio Sawatari. I met him during the Friendship Cup. He’s a great guy. Super hilarious too. He’s a Dueltainer like Yuya. I was hoping he could provide us with the money we need for our new home.”

“You sure?” Rin asked.

“'Course I’m sure,” Yugo insisted. “Yuya told me Sylvio comes from a wealthy family, so I was hoping he could give us enough yen to cover the payment.”

One bus trip later, the two arrived in the Paradise section of the mashed-up city. This was Rin’s official first time being in what was originally known as Paradise City; she does have a good idea on where certain places are located in this town, but that was because her soul was in Zuzu’s body prior to the blood separation. Yugo only went there a couple times to try and find his girlfriend, only for him to run into and duel Yuto and stumble across Zuzu the next day before being whisked back into the Synchro Dimension. Fused or not, they both knew where LID was thanks to the preparations made for the night of the Heartland Duel School students’ dance do-over.

Upon entering the Leo Institute, Yugo didn’t hesitate to call out to his friend. “Hey Sylvio! I need to speak to you!”

Rin noticed how large the institute was. “I don’t think it’ll be that easy to find him-”

“Yugo? Is that you?”

The Synchro couple turned around to see Sylvio appearing from around the corner as he walked down the hallway. His eyes caught onto Yugo’s and couldn’t believe that his friend was standing right before him. The short amount of processing left him overjoyed as he ran over to him to give him a huge hug.

“Whoa there,” Yugo said. “I know we’re buds, but you didn’t have to hug me.”

“Oh Yugo!” Sylvio exclaimed, still hugging the Speedroid user. “You’re alright!”

“Uh… Yeah, I’m alright,” Yugo said, pushing his excited friend back. “But what’s with the behavior? I haven’t seen you this happy before.”

“You don’t remember?” Sylvio asked. “I dueled Zarc on your behalf! Granted I wanted to save Yuya too, but saving _you_ was more important! You’re the only Duelist I met who is worthy to be my equal, and I was willing to do anything to save you.”

“You… You actually fought for me?” Yugo asked, tears forming in his eyes. He never thought that anyone wanted to save him from Zarc’s clutches. His soul was absorbed into Yuri’s body as he completely fell into the ever-growing darkness, as seen when he and Yuto pressured Yuya to reunite as one again; despite some signs of resistance from the latters, Yuri’s defeat signaled the start of their incarnation’s return. Seeing someone pursuing their mission to try and rescue the Synchro user from the strings of manipulative, corrupt darkness that he bore like a puppet was a touching moment for him to learn.

“Of course I fought for you,” Sylvio answered. “Especially since we are long due for a rematch.”

“A rematch?” Rin asked.

“We faced off against each other,” Yugo explained. “And we ended up bonding during the duel.”

“But enough about strolling down memory lane,” Sylvio said. “What brings you and your girlfriend here?”

“It’s because of this,” Yugo answered, showing Sylvio the booklet. “I wanna move in there with Rin as a way of celebrating our new lives with our bodies back.”

Sylvio looked at the place in the booklet. “Only 20,000 yen?” he asked. “I’ll be more than happy to provide the money, but why that location? It looks old.”

“I dunno,” Yugo admitted. “But when I saw this place…” He pointed at the apartment/garage next to Poppo Time. “…I got this weird feeling in me, almost like I had to live there.”

Yugo couldn’t describe it in words, but he felt like there was a nagging voice in his head telling him to move to Poppo Time for a very good reason. These strange memories started to flow through his mind about this place, but there were far different experiences occurring. He remembered seeing Jack and Crow living with him…or more specifically, an alternate version of him. But was it really him? He looked much older with tanned skin and different hair. And what was with the criminal mark on his face?

“So that’s why I’m totally revved up to move there,” Yugo continued. “And I can’t move in alone. I’ve gotta bring RinRin with me.” He put his hand on her waist and pulled her close to him. “She’s my girl.”

“Well if you insist…” Sylvio said. He took out his wallet and gave Yugo 20,000 yen. “This should be enough to give the landlord.”

"Aw, thanks Sylvio!” Yugo cheerfully said. “You’re the best!”

Some time later, Yugo and Rin returned to the Commons to talk to the owner of the shop. For two people who have spent their lives growing up in the lower class section of New Domino City, they have never been to Poppo Time. Fortunately, the booklet did provide information about the place; it was located in front of a dirt road which harbored other small shops and businesses and it is owned by a woman named Zora, a widow whose son Lyndon also works there.

Upon arriving at the clock shop, Yugo and Rin spoke to Zora about living arrangements. “I see,” the widow said when the Synchro counterparts finished explaining. “So you wish to move out of the local orphanage and live next door.”

“That’s exactly what our plan is,” Yugo said. He brought out the yen Sylvio gave him. “I even have the exact money needed for payment.”

Zora accepted the yen and checked it. “This is exactly 20,000 yen,” she remarked. “And I do like that confident look in your eyes. Of course you and your girlfriend can live here.”

“Thank you so much,” Rin said, bowing out of respect.

“But I do expect you two to work at the shop from time to time,” Zora continued. “If you’re going to live here, you’re going to need money. I can’t have two poor orphans living next door, so how do you feel about starting at 300 yen per hour?”

“Sure,” Yugo agreed. “At least it’s somethin’.”

Of course, they would need to find a nice balance between work, living at home, and working in the garage, but if they work a decent number of hours each week, they’ll be making a sufficient amount of money.

And so, with the payment completed, Yugo asked Aster Phoenix and Kite Tenjo to help him and Rin move their stuff to their new home. They all used their monsters to carry all the boxes out of their rooms and into the new ones they’re moving into. Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, Windwitch - Winter Bell, and Galaxy Eyes Cipher Dragon all flew at a steady pace with neatly piled of boxes on each of the wings and tails whereas Destiny HERO - Dystopia glided past them while carrying a stack in his hands with ease, shocking them in the process.

While that was going on, Yugo smiled wide at his and Rin’s new home. “I can’t believe it, RinRin,” he said. “It’s a brand new chapter of our lives.”

“I know,” Rin agreed. “Sure the chances of another Friendship Cup happening are slim, but at least we’ll make progress together.”

“Not to mention all the new memories we’ll make,” Yugo said. “Just you, me, Bruno-” His eyes widened in shock.

“Bruno?” Rin asked. “Who’s Bruno?”

Yugo had no idea what he was talking about, but at the same time, he did. He has never heard of or even know about this Bruno person, yet he still had this strange feeling within him that he has met him before. Maybe in another life? That must be the case because these memories he was suddenly remembering weren’t his to begin with. In fact, he started recalling on a life-changing duel somewhere in space. From what he was witnessing, Bruno was an android replica of a younger Antinomy, a former pro Turbo Duelist known as Johnny who was one of the four remaining humans in an apocalyptic world who wanted creating a better future for humanity.

Yugo saw through the eyes of what may be his alternate self in a Death Course, a Turbo Duel circuit where the loser is killed; in this case, the Turbo Duelist who loses will be sucked into a black hole that was made as a result of Antinomy’s Delta Accel Synchro Summon. He managed to win the duel, but the black hole was creeping closer. Antinomy’s Duel Runner—Delta Eagle—was barely maintaining control and has a cut on his face from one of its pieces. He bowed his head with his eyes closed as he spoke.

“I ended up meeting you under such circumstances… Because of that, I never got to know you as a true friend,” he said.

“Antinomy! No, Bruno!” Yugo’s alternate self exclaimed in an odd voice, causing the latter to look up in surprise. “You’re one of us: Team 5D’s.” He extended his arm out with his hand making a fist. “And you’re my friend, Bruno!”

Bruno was left speechless by those words as he looked at the fist. “Friend…? Do you really think of me as your friend, Yusei?”

Yusei? That’s what his name was in his other life? Yugo’s curiosity grew into realization because it would explain why he was suddenly having these memories on moving day. At the same time, Yusei nodded in response to the question he was asked.

“Your friend, huh…?” Bruno stated before closing his eyes and recalling on all the times he spent with Team 5D’s, ranging from hanging out to the Turbo Duels at the World Racing Grand Prix. “I loved being around you all and watching you fight with everyone.” He opened his eyes again. “During that time, I felt your infinite strength and potential!”

“Bruno…” Yusei said. Just then, Delta Eagle suffered another partial explosion and started to slow down. Reaching his hand out, he yelled, “Bruno! Jump over to me! Hurry!”

With a simple stare, Bruno answered, “That would be useless.” This shocked Yusei and Yugo; was he doing what they think he was doing? “I told you before. The only way to reach the end of this course is for one of us to be destroyed.”

“Bruno!” Yusei called out as Delta Eagle continued slowing down.

A smile appeared on Bruno’s face. “The short time I spent with you guys was really fun.”

Yusei had a worried look on his face because he feared of what his friend might do. “Bruno!”

Within a matter of a few seconds, Bruno sped the smoking Delta Eagle up towards Yusei’s Duel Runner. “What are you about to do, Bruno?!”

“Yusei! You’re my hope! Grab the light beyond Accel Synchro! Grab that light and open the future!!” With widened eyes, Yusei heard these last two words from his close friend, who threw off his helmet: “GO!! YUSEI!!”

With that, Delta Eagle accelerated and both Duel Runners collided, sending them off rapidly in a beam of white light. Electricity sparked all over Delta Eagle as it malfunctioned and severely worsened its damage, followed by stronger explosions from the front. It dramatically slowed down as Yusei’s Duel Runner ricocheted away.

“Bruno! Bruno!!” Yusei shouted.

Bruno smiled again. Yusei… he thought to himself before being gulfed in smoke and falling back.

“BRUNO!!”

Back at the Divine Temple, a circle of white light opened up as Yusei dashed out of it and fell out of his fumbling Duel Runner, rolling a couple times on the floor. An illuminated gear faded as the floor grew dark; one of the Planetary Gears was deactivated. Yusei got up to see where the light was before spotting a broken visor on the floor, stunning him and Yugo in disbelief. An image of Bruno in his standard attire faded in through the lens; he had sacrificed himself in order for his companion to save the world and the future. Yusei clenched his right fist as his eyebrows quivered, with tears welling up in his shut eyes and streaming down his face a little before opening them halfway.

“Bruno… BRUNO!!”

“Are you alright?” Aster asked.

Yugo opened his eyes, surprised and confused. He was back in the real world, but his friends and girlfriend were looking at him in concern. But what was that vision? How could he have been this Yusei person and Zarc? Regardless, he shrugged it off, thinking it was nothing more than a silly vision.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Yugo lied.

“You were screaming about someone named Bruno,” Kite pointed out. “That doesn’t sound fine.”

So…it wasn’t a silly vision? Yugo was actually remembering this Yusei person’s memories? Out of all the moments for this to be happening, why did it have to be moving day?

Rin looked at the apartment/garage. “This is a big place,” she commented. “What if we asked Crow and Shinji to move in with us? We could use the extra company.”

“No way!” Yugo blurted out. “We can’t ask Sylvio for 40,000 extra yen! I know he’s a nice guy, but I hate takin’ advantage of him.”

“No need,” Aster said, taking out his Duel Academy student points card. “My time as an Obelisk Force commander earned me a lot of student points. I’ll convert them into cash for your friends.”

“Aw, thanks Aster!” Yugo said. “Now we just have to ask Crow and Shinji if they want to move in.”

All Duel Academy students were required to have special cards which were similar to debit cards, except instead of depositing money into them, they receive points and are immediately transferred into their cards. By converting them into cash, they were permitted to treat them similarly to debit cards; for Aster, it was one of the many perks of being a high-ranked Obelisk Force commander because he has plenty of points that can be converted to over 40,000 yen, meaning it was more than enough to cover the cost of Crow and Shinji living with Yugo and Rin.

Once the group and their ace monsters were finished bringing the boxes over to the apartment, Yugo and Rin needed to figure out where Crow and Shinji lived. If they remembered correctly, they have been staying at their hideout alongside Frank, Tanner, and Amanda, but where was that even located? How will the children react to learning about this news?

“Oh crud!” Yugo realized. “I forgot Crow has a bunch of kids to look after!”

This was a setback he didn’t even thought about. There were times where he occasionally headed down the street where Crow lived and saw him taking care of the three children; he always had a huge soft spot for children and always loved and cared about them. How were Yugo and Rin going to get roommates now since Crow was basically a foster-father to Frank, Tanner, and Amanda?

“Yeah, you’re right,” Rin said. “But while you were in that weird trance, I think I heard you mentioning Crow. I thought having him as a roommate would help calm you down.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Aster said. “Just leave everything to me.”

Yugo and Rin turned to stare at Aster; how does he know what he’s doing? Didn’t Duel Academy students and Obelisk Force soldiers have information about only the XYZ residence? The only one who had a strong idea about the Synchro residence was Jean-Michel Roget and he was currently missing after the disbandment of the High Council…not that the duo knew about it for obvious reasons. Still, how was Aster going to help them?

“What are you thinkin’ about?” Yugo asked.

“Well with you two moving out of the orphanage, that means new rooms are available,” Aster pointed out. “Wouldn’t it make sense for three homeless orphans to occupy those rooms?”

That was actually a pretty good idea. They grew up without a home prior to Crow taking care of them, so maybe moving to the orphanage can have them make more friends and still have the basic survival necessities: a roof over their heads, beds to sleep on, food and beverages to eat and drink, clothes to wear, and so on. They were clearly going to miss Crow, but they’ll surely come up with a plan for them to still keep in touch.

“So this is gonna be our new path,” Yugo said. “Livin’ with a couple of roommates in our new home.”

“Of course,” Rin agreed. She held Yugo’s hand, intertwining their fingers together. “And the best part is that we’ll do this together.”

Yugo nodded in agreement to what Rin just stated. They were happy to know that they can finally move into a place of their own, and with Crow and Shinji moving in, they’ll have two new friends to get to know more about as they bond through duels and mechanics. Maybe it was for the best that they ultimately settled with this decision; Frank, Tanner, and Amanda may be children right now, but they were still growing up, so if they agree to live in the orphanage, the Synchro counterparts will be able to create new memories and preserve the past ones.


	7. A New Flower Blooms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuri is finally back home at Duel Academy, but it's not the same Duel Academy he once knew...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I added a bit of DuskShipping near the beginning, mostly because Yuri and Dennis have great chemistry, almost like they're childhood friends.

While that was going on, loud dragon roars could be heard from the Obelisk Blue dorm at Duel Academy. Why was that? Because Yuri set up his alarm clock so he would wake up to the sound of Starving Venom’s roars every morning.

The cabbage-haired counterpart politely turned off his alarm and stretched. “Good morning Dennis,” he said after yawning.

“Good morning Yu-” Dennis started to say, then he looked at his roommate and smirked.

“What are you so happy about?” Yuri asked.

“It’s your hair,” Dennis answered. “It looks a lot like Yuya’s hair.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Yuri said as he got up and walked over to the dorm bathroom. “My hair looks nothing like-”

He cut his sentence short when he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror. His dual-colored purple and pink hair stuck out in downward-pointing spikes all around his head with the exception of two short spikes pointing upwards. His bed head did look awfully similar to his Pendulum counterpart’s hairstyle.

Dennis let out a small laugh. “Very funny, McField,” Yuri dryly said as he left the bathroom.

“But it kind of is,” Dennis pointed out as he also got out of bed to get dressed. “You’re the complete opposite of Yuya, yet your messy hair looks just like his.”

Yuri walked over to a potted plant near a windowsill. “Just be glad you’re one of my closest allies,” he said, opening a nearby ant farm and using tweezers to take out a few ants and put them on a Petri dish.

“Otherwise you would have carded me at this point?” Dennis jokingly asked, recalling one of their usual jokes.

“Don’t be absurd,” Yuri said. He proceeded to use the tweezers to place the ants in the mouths of his Venus flytrap (which he nicknamed ‘Goddess’). “After everything we went through, that joke of ours is no longer funny.”

Dennis wasn’t sure what Yuri meant by that; was it because carding people is now considered illegal and Leo had his students stop using that tactic altogether? Either that or Yuri’s revival in Yuya’s body had him have a change of heart and doesn’t want to anyone to mention carding at all. Or maybe…was it because he saw his best friend card himself?

Dennis was silent for a few minutes as Yuri watered his plant. “Is it because-”

“Dennis McField, I swear, don’t you ever pull a stunt like that again,” Yuri interrupted, his voice cracking in sorrow. “When I found out what you did, I was so upset. It was against Leo’s orders to show no weakness, but I didn’t care.” He started shaking as he placed his watering can next to Goddess. “Yet that sign of weakness is what caused Zarc to fully corrupt me.”

Dennis felt a pit of sadness in his heart. “You really see me as a friend?” he asked.

“I wasn’t sure at first,” Yuri admitted, walking over to the dorm’s closet and taking out his uniform. “But after I got my body back, I realized something.”

“What’s that?” Dennis asked.

“You’re more than a friend,” the Predaplant user confessed, looking at his roommate. “If I wasn’t attracted to girls, I would have asked you out on a date by now.”

Dennis let out a small chuckle. “Funny,” he said. “That’s exactly how I feel about you.”

Yuri’s eyes grew wide as tears slightly started to form. Dennis actually looks up to him as more than a friend? Well, he and Celina rarely saw each other since Leo kept them separated, leading to the Obelisk Dueltainer to fill in the gap; as a result, they have been inseparable ever since.

“You…really feel that way about me?” Yuri asked.

“Of course,” Dennis answered, having finished putting on his uniform. “Ever since Leo put us in the same Obelisk Force branch, there was something about you that drew me towards you. Maybe it was your dueling style or even your personality, but I certainly felt a connection between us. That was why I wanted to be your second-in-command when you were promoted. Because while you never saw me as a friend at first, I could tell that you deeply care about me.”

Yuri smiled softly. “Thank you, Dennis,” he said. “I’m glad someone still cares about me.”

“What about Sora?” Dennis asked.

Yuri headed back to the bathroom and picked up a dark green comb that was soaked in a cup of water. “He is a recent friend,” he explained, using the damp comb to comb his hair into place. “I have known you for a good number of years.”

He never forgot the day he met his first ever friend at Duel Academy. Throughout his childhood, he grew up without any friends because of his skills. He was incredibly talented and enjoyed defeating his opponents, making him virtually unbeatable; however, all the students feared him to the point where they stepped aside where they saw him walking by. Due to his rather impressive strength, no one dared to approach him, leaving him without any friends. He didn’t mind though…at least, from the outside. Deep inside, he really wanted company and share his strength with someone in duels, but with everyone not even going near him, it only made his insecurities and nervousness worse. In fact, the only one that accompanied him was his own shadow.

So when Yuri met Leo, things changed. He finally had someone he could look up to. And a few weeks later, he was placed in Obelisk Force, where the biggest change of his life occurred.

“Yuri, this is Obelisk Force Branch 3A-2,” Leo informed. “From now on, these soldiers are your comrades.”

To Yuri’s surprise, a boy his age with curly red hair rushed over to him. “Nice to meet you, Yuri,” he happily said, shaking his hand. “My name is Dennis McField. Let’s be partners from now on.”

“P-Partners?” Yuri asked, surprised by Dennis’ boldness.

“Yeah,” Dennis said. “The Professor has talked about how strong you are, so I want to be seen as your equal.”

Yuri couldn’t find the right words to describe how he felt, but his face said it all, from his eyebrows raised up in surprise by what he heard to his slightly ajar mouth. Dennis was the second student who wasn’t afraid of him and truly accepted him at Duel Academy; Celina did get to meet him a while ago, but Leo keeping the two generally distant prevented her from expressing her opinions on his strength face to face. In other words, Yuri’s first encounter with his new partner made him finally feel welcomed at this school.

Yuri smiled softly at Dennis. “Thank you,” he said, knowing this was the beginning of a wonderful partnership.

Back in the present day, Yuri had just finished combing his hair into place, looking exactly like his usual hairstyle than Yuya’s, and was about to get dressed into his usual uniform. “I never forgot that day,” he said as he took off his sleepwear shirt and tossed it into a nearby hamper.

“Neither did I,” Dennis agreed, spraying some cologne on his wrists. “And we have been inseparable ever since.”

“By the way, I noticed Goddess has sprouted some new bulbs,” Yuri said, changing topics. “Have you been taking care of her in my absence?”

“Of course,” Dennis answered. “I even looked over the care guide you wrote for her so I never forgot any important steps.”

“I see,” Yuri said. “So did anything important happen while I was away?”

“Not much,” Dennis replied. “Another student gala is coming up. Sora already asked out that Blair girl from Slifer Red, and I already agreed for us to go on a double date with the Tyler sisters.”

“The Tyler sisters?” Yuri repeated.

“Is there something wrong with them?” Dennis asked.

“There is,” Yuri admitted, having finished putting on his uniform and giving his hair one last check. “I was hoping to ask Miss Celina out.”

Celina? Why her? Isn’t he aware that they have a rivalry with each other ever since Zuzu was revived? So naturally, the Performage user had to ask.

“Why Celina?” Dennis asked. “Aren’t you two rivals?”

“Of course we are,” Yuri answered. “Need I remind you that Duel Academy galas have sparring duels as a side activity?”

“Oh right,” Dennis said. “We haven’t had a gala in such a long time that I forgot about that part.”

Duel Academy galas are similar to regular galas, but they have their own alterations. Every year, the students dress up formally in dresses and suits, regardless of what their rankings were; Slifer Red, Ra Yellow, and Obelisk Blue students were required to wear regal clothing whenever they attend this annual event. In the ballroom, a long, fancy table is set up not too far from the entrance and a variety of exquisite foods and drinks are aligned on it for the attendees to sample or have. One of the corners of the room has an orchestra playing music in front of a dance floor for any couples to waltz to the rhythm. What makes Duel Academy galas different than most galas is everyone who took part in them were permitted to duel in the gymnasium.

“Precisely,” Yuri said. He left the bathroom as he spoke. “And I wish to duel Miss Celina during the next gala.”

“Are you sure?” Dennis asked. “I-”

“Of course I’m sure, my dearest friend,” Yuri said. “And since we are now both in proper attire for today, shall we start things off at the survival arena for morning practice?”

“Actually, Leo dismantled it,” Dennis explained.

Yuri was surprised to hear that. “What about the dueling obstacle course?”

“It was also dismantled,” Dennis repeated.

Yuri was silent for a few seconds. “…Then the underwater breathing dorm-”

“Also dismantled,” Dennis explained. “And before you say anything else, I’m afraid to report that ever since Zuzu was revived, Leo got rid of all of the training areas.”

Yuri shot his eyes wide open and had his mouth opened a little and his bushy eyebrows curved in a similar manner to what he did when he thought Yugo was making fun of him on what happened to Zuzu back in the Synchro Dimension. This time, however, he was more heartbroken by what he heard. With all training areas dismantled, what will the students do instead of train?

“Then what are we supposed to do?” Yuri asked.

“Leo is trying to make Duel Academy more like a normal boarding school,” Dennis explained. “So in place of the training areas, he established extracurricular activities and clubs. I, myself, joined the drama club.”

“But… But I spent my whole life training to be a soldier,” Yuri said. “What am I supposed to do now?”

“Join the gardening club?” Dennis suggested.

That intrigued Yuri’s interests. “Gardening club?” he repeated.

“Yeah,” Dennis answered. “You can even show off Goddess.”

A small grin appeared on Yuri’s face. “Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to show off her new bulbs…” he decided.

Taking the garden pot that had Goddess in it off the windowsill, Yuri and Dennis left their dorm room and exited through the male Obelisk Blue dormitory doors. Having a variety of clubs being hosted in the rooms that once had training areas admittedly seemed like a good idea; after spending over a decade being trained to carry out the Arc Project and Revival Zero, it felt nice to have the students finally express their different interests. It would also give them opportunities to meet the other students and make new friends. In Yuri’s case, joining the gardening club would be a perfect chance to show off his pet Venus flytrap to a certain someone, especially since the plant’s bulbs have appeared.

Inside the Academy, Dennis led the way because he knew which room the gardening club was being held. As Yuri followed him down the halls, a familiar figure was pacing herself in the opposite direction of where they were heading. He recognized the indigo hair and orange handkerchief anywhere: it was Celina and she was back at Duel Academy! It was quite surprising to see her here of all places.

“Miss Celina!” Yuri exclaimed, sounding a little too happy. “What brings you here?”

“Don’t get too comfortable,” Celina said, holding some papers. “I’m not staying here for long.”

“What?” Yuri asked. “Why-”

“I tried to tell you about this,” Dennis interrupted. “Look at what she’s holding.”

Yuri looked at the papers. “Transfer files?”

“Yep,” Celina said. “Starting today, I’m transferring to Paradise Prep.”

Just like that, Yuri felt his heart shatter, but it was more like it broke in half. Celina transferring to Paradise Prep? Why would she do that? He had plans to go out with her to the upcoming gala and now they’re being thrown right out the window. Deep inside where his shattered heart was, he could feel a burning sensation within him starting to surface, almost as if he needed to be with her. No, it felt more like he _has_ to be with her. Noticing how heartbroken his friend was, Dennis took Goddess as a way to make sure the former doesn’t accidentally drop her out of his hands.

“But Miss Celina, you cannot leave!” Yuri begged, sounding a bit frantic. “I was hoping you would attend the next gala with me!”

“Look, as much as I would like to improve Duel Academy, I need to take a break from this school,” Celina explained. “I want to have a normal education-”

“BUT YOU CAN’T LEAVE ME!” Yuri yelled out, his eyes glowing purple much like when he Awakened.

The sudden outburst shocked Celina and Dennis, nearly dropping her transfer files and gripping the pot tighter respectively. Was this another side effect of Yuri retaining his original body again?

Fortunately a single glance at his plant made Yuri snap out of it, causing his eyes to stop glowing. “Dennis, be careful,” he said. “Goddess doesn’t like it when someone grips her pot too tightly.”

“Sorry Yuri,” Dennis said. “You kind of…went dragon.”

“Did I?” Yuri asked.

“Look, I have no idea what’s going on,” Celina said. “But if you really want me to attend the school gala, I’ll go.”

Yuri let out a delighted chuckle. “Why, thank you,” he said. “I promise it will be an evening you will never forget.”

Shortly after that ordeal, the Obelisk duo arrived at the gardening club, which used to be a room where stealth training was held. They remembered how there were special computers on the upper floor that were implemented with Solid Vision with mass, creating simulated scenarios of different difficulty levels to help the students practice what they know about stealth. Now everything has been reconstructed to make it look more like a shrine room with two tables set up parallel from each other with flower arranged on them and the right side of the room having a scroll hanged up, which contained a picture of a small bird sitting on a tree branch.

In front of the young teenage boys was a girl around the same age as them, sitting on her knees and trimming a small flower tree. She has long, straight, black hair tied into a short ponytail with a purple ribbon and icy blue eyes which appeared to be glazed. She wears a transparent light blue veil on top of her head, a pair of antennae that resembled flower pistils located in between her front bangs and above her short, thick yet feminine, black eyebrows, and a burgundy kimono with a pink and light yellow floral pattern on the sleeves and bottom along with a cream sash with a scarlet ribbon tied on it, white socks, and a pair of tan flat sandals.

The girl’s name was Lotus Hanazoe who specializes in ikebana, a Japanese art of flower arrangement. She was originally from the XYZ Dimension, but after the Interdimensional War had ended, she began attending Duel Academy; it marked a huge milestone in the school’s history since it primarily consists of people from the Fusion Dimension, but seeing an XYZ resident taking part in the school after the events of what happened felt like a subtle sign of forgiveness to Leo. Of course, Duel Academy has a policy that students transferring from their old schools must start out in Slifer Red, so she was no exception.

“And it seems we have visitors joining us today,” Lotus said, speaking to the attending students. “If I’m not mistaken, you’re Dennis McField and Yuri from the now-disbanded Obelisk Force.”

“Correct,” Yuri said. “And allow me to introduce you to my plant.” He held up Goddess. “Behold, the world’s most perfect Venus flytrap!”

The students were a bit surprised. “A Venus…flytrap?” Lotus repeated. “That seems a bit…off.”

“Oh, you have nothing to fear,” Yuri proudly said. “Ever since the Professor gave me Goddess as a gift, I have made sure she was properly taken care of. She has a strict diet of ants and water once every two weeks with the occasional fly as a treat on special days. And look, she has sprouted new bulbs!”

The students weren’t sure how to react to this; even after the War had ended and Zarc split back into his reincarnations again, they never forgot that he was the same kid who was so powerful at Duel Monsters that he made himself infamously feared around the Academy. He’s a nearly invincible Duelist with very few friends and the students still couldn’t believe that he ended up having a higher status than Obelisk Force because of it.

Yuri quickly noticed the students’ feared expressions. “I see…” he said, sounding a bit heartbroken. “I can tell when I’m not needed.” He headed for the door. “I shall leave you to your club-”

“Hold on,” Lotus said. “Am I detecting genuine guilt in your voice?”

Yuri didn’t respond. “I can tell that you feel genuinely upset for what happened to everyone in the four dimensions,” Lotus continued. “And while your plant doesn’t appear to fit in among the greenery that the other students have, I suppose we could give you and your Venus flytrap a chance.”

“Really?” Yuri asked.

“Lotus, are you sure?” a Ra Yellow girl asked.

“Of course, I’m sure,” Lotus answered. “Yuri of the former Obelisk Force rank, while I heard about your vicious dueling methods, I also heard about how much you care for plants.”

“Well I do,” Yuri said, proudly showing off Goddess once more. “Goddess is my pride and joy. I even created a small contraption to help feed her once every two weeks when I’m absent.”

“I see,” Lotus said, showing interest. “Do tell.”

As Yuri explained everything about Goddess, Dennis notified him that he’ll be heading over to the drama club in the meantime. So with his friend busy with his club, Yuri was enjoying the atmosphere of the gardening club. But a few minutes later, he recognized a familiar face.

“Missy?” Yuri asked. “Is that you?”

A red-haired girl wearing an Obelisk Blue uniform smiled and saluted Yuri. “Nice to see you again, head commander,” she said.

“You two know each other?” Lotus asked.

“Of course,” Missy answered. “We were in the same Obelisk Force branch.”

Yuri definitely remembered meeting Missy Kochou shortly after he met Dennis. She had always treated him with respect during their training and throughout the War, so seeing her again was a pleasant surprise; he was also amazed that she still respects him even after Obelisk Force disbanded.

“We bonded over sparring sessions,” Yuri said. “The Professor always paired us up due to similar dueling levels.”

“I see,” Lotus said. “Then how about showing us a little sparring session?”

“I don’t know,” Missy said. “Yuri has probably gone soft because of that Yuya kid.”

“I beg your pardon?” Yuri asked, sounding mock-offended.

“You heard me,” Missy replied, holding up her Duel Disk. “So are you still the same powerhouse I always knew, or did spending a good number of weeks with that flashy tomato showman make you vulnerable?”

Yuri chuckled. “If it’s a show you want, then it’s a show you shall have!”

A few minutes later, the entire gardening club sat in the schoolyard to watch Missy and Yuri duel each other. The two activated their Duel Disks, added five cards to their hands, and shouted, “Let’s duel!” If Yuri remembered correctly, Missy’s strategy revolves around summoning her Insect Princess and using the Field Spell card Insect Garden to control the opponent’s weaker Insect-Type monsters and forcing them to attack with the Equip Spell Insect Pheromone. He may have the advantage because his Predaplant archetype consists of Plant-Type monsters.

“Ladies first,” Yuri said.

“Oh, you’re too kind,” Missy said with a smirk. “But you’ll see that I have changed my strategy since we last met.” She drew a card. “I play the Spell card Insect Barrier! Then I’ll set a monster on the field, followed by a face-down card. Your turn.”

“Very well,” Yuri said as he drew a card. “I’ll start things off with the lovely Predaplant Spinodionaea!”

Missy let out a laugh. “That’s the best you can do?” she asked. “That measly weed is only useful when I have a face up monster.”

“Oh, I’m not done,” Yuri continued. “I activate the Continuous Spell Predaponics, allowing me to special summon Moray Nepenthes.”

Missy wasn’t scared at all. “Well it’s too bad they can’t attack,” she said.

“Whatever do you mean?” Yuri asked.

“Because of my face down: the Trap card DNA Surgery!” Missy answered.

“What?!” Yuri exclaimed.

“It’s simple,” Missy said. “As long as this card is on my field, your precious plants are forced to transform into insects.”

There goes his advantage; Yuri never expected Missy to play DNA Surgery because he was hoping her strategy would be ineffective. Now, it was him that needs to figure out how to get out of this situation as he witnessed Spinodionaea and Moray Nepenthes transform into Insect-Types while retaining their plant-like features. Not even Starving Venom could attack.

“You… You tricked me!” Yuri exclaimed, horrified to see his plants stripped of their 'beauty’.

“Of course I did,” Missy said as she drew a card. “So with my field being completely untouchable, I’ll flip summon Parasite Paracide and leave you with a little parting gift in your deck.”

“Parting gift?” Yuri repeated. “What are you-”

Before he could finish, Parasite Paracide materialized onto the duel field and dashed right towards his deck, landing face up on top of it and causing it to shuffle afterwards. This was the first part of its effect because if he draws this card, it is automatically special summoned onto his side of the field in face-up defense mode and is inflicted 1000 damage. To make matters worse, all monsters the opponent controls become Insect-Type. It’s no wonder why it was called Parasite Paracide: it was capable of finding a host to live on and spread its disease to the host’s monsters, resulting in them becoming Insect-Types themselves.

“But that’s not all,” Missy continued. “Next I summon Pinch Hopper. And since it’s an Insect monster, I can play the Spell card Worm Bait to get more bugs. But they aren’t worried. As long as my Insect Barrier is active, they won’t have to worry about getting destroyed.”

Yuri was in a huge pickle now. Missy had Pinch Hopper and two Insect Tokens on the field, which can’t be destroyed thanks to Insect Barrier. He always knew she was a strong student with her Insect deck, but he didn’t expect something like this to happen to him. Staring at the Insect-Type Spiniodaea and Moray Nepenthes, he wondered if his counter strategy would still work. His eyes shifted towards his deck and grew a bit concerned about the risk of drawing Parasite Paracide and losing 1000 LP…until he realized his counter strategy could still be used thanks to a new card he recently got.

Taking a deep breath, Yuri drew a card from his deck…and smirked. “What got you so happy?” Missy asked.

“Oh, nothing,” Yuri casually answered. “I’ll just summon Predaplant Squid Drosera in defense mode, switch my other two Predaplants to defense mode as well, and set a card face down before concluding my turn.”

Missy just stood there confused on what Yuri even did. Why spend a turn switching his monsters to defense position and playing a face-down? Wasn’t he aware that part of her strategy involves her having his monsters being forced to attack? It didn’t matter to her anyways.

“No matter,” Missy said as she drew a card. “With my monsters left intact, I’ll use Polymerization to fuse Pinch Hopper with the second Parasite Paracide in my hand. Come on out, Insect Princess!”

Originially just a regular effect monster, Leo upgraded her to a Fusion monster to further help Missy’s status as a Fusion user, but her stats still remained the same: Level 6, WIND Attribute, Insect-Type, 1900 ATK, and 1200 DEF. Even her effects hasn’t changed; all Insect-Type monsters are switched to attack position when she’s face up on the field and she increases her ATK by 500 whenever she destroys an Insect-Type monster in battle.

“So now that my lovely Insect Princess has arrived, all of your Predaplants are forced to switch to attack mode,” Missy said. “And I think I’ll start my assault with the weakest one. Insect Princess, attack Squid Drosera!”

Unfortunately for her, Yuri smirked right as she initiated her Battle Phase because he knew she would pull something like that. “Why, thank you,” Yuri said.

“For what?” Missy asked.

“Because now that Squid Drosera is heading for the Graveyard, each of your special summoned monsters receive Predator Counters latched onto them,” Yuri answered. “And there’s not a thing you can do to stop my lovely plant’s ability!”

“I’m not scared,” Missy said as three Predator Counters materialized onto the field and clamped to Insect Princess and the two Worm Tokens. “You can’t still attack.”

“Oh really?” Yuri asked. He drew a card, resulting in a wicked grin appearing on his face. “Well I beg to differ because I activate the Trap card Dragon Tribe!”

“What?!” Missy asked.

“Yes, that’s right,” Yuri said. “My time with Yuya never made me weak. It only made me stronger. And on the turn that I activate Dragon Tribe, all of my monsters become Dragon-Type until the end of my turn, so now your Insect Barrier is ineffective!”

Missy was left flabbergasted as Dragon Tribe transformed the Insect-Type Predaplants into Dragon-Type monsters while still having their plant-like features from before. Yuri had a satisfied look on his face as he saw his precious Predaplants undergo such a magnificent transformation.

“It’s not the same as their original beauty, but I suppose it will do,” Yuri said. “But I’m not done. With the power of Polymerization, I fuse Spiniodaea and Nepenthes in order to bring out the most toxic monster ever seen!” His wicked grin widened as his eyes became more dragon-like. “You’ll never look at greenery the same way again! I Fusion Summon the vicious, voracious, and venomous Starving Venom Fusion Dragon!”

The dragon’s head stretched out and opened up the mouth, revealing thin traces of saliva in between his upper and lower jaws. His tail extended in place as an “eyelid” shot open to reveal a dark yellow-green orb covered in what also looked like saliva. He raised his entire body up with glowing toxic green eyes before letting out his signature roar, resulting in his orb-esque scales on his body and joints of his claws to glow red and yellow. He then locked himself into attack position upon completing Yuri’s Fusion Summon.

Missy stood there completely shocked by what had just happened. Floating in front of her and the insect monsters was none other than Yuri’s powerful ace monster that secured him a huge number of victories with his duels throughout his entire life.

“But wait, there’s more,” Yuri continued. “By sending my second Squid Drosera from my hand to the Graveyard, my treasured dragon has to attack every monster that has a Predator Counter.”

Missy realized what that meant. “All of my monsters have Predator Counters…” she stated.

“Precisely,” Yuri said. “But don’t act too upset. You should be honored. Starving Venom hasn’t had a delicious meal in weeks, so he feels rather peckish.”

“So your dueling style hasn’t changed at all,” Missy said.

“Indeed,” Yuri said. “Now Starving Venom Fusion Dragon, it’s feeding time! Finish this duel once and for all!”

Starving Venom’s wings opened up to reveal four saliva-covered mouths, in which two of them stretched out to consume and destroy the two Worm Tokens, dealing a total of 5600 damage. It was followed with Starving Venom extending out his wings, shooting out purple and magenta lightning bolts and an aquamarine blast at Insect Princess, resulting in an additional 900 damage. With a total of 6500 damage, Missy’s Life Points depleted down to 0, securing Yuri a win for the first time since his loss to Yuya.

“I do believe that is a victory for myself,” Yuri said, giving Missy a two-fingered pointing gesture. He stopped upon realizing what he was doing, wondering why he would do such a gesture.

Missy approached Yuri. “Not bad, high commander,” she said. “You’re still as vicious as the day we met.”

Lotus, along with the rest of the gardening club, was shocked. “Wow…” she said. “That was…incredible.”

“We have to let him join,” Missy told Lotus. “Sure Yuri has rather violent dueling methods, but he has a huge soft spot for plants.”

“Well alright,” Lotus said. “Yuri of Obelisk Force, welcome to Duel Academy’s gardening club.”

Yuri widened his eyes and raised his short, bushy eyebrows right as Lotus finished her statement because he was wondering to himself if he heard what he thought he heard her say. Fortunately, that quickly turned into proud acceptance as he thanked her for letting him join. To him, his life-long desire of other students accepting him into the Academy and making him feel welcome was finally starting to come true.


	8. Yuto's Knightly Transitioning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After spending a few days with his new family, Yuto finally moves in to the Obsidian household. Unforunately for him, transitioning from a middle class environment to an upper class environment isn't as easy as he thought...

The next morning, after a busy day of the Sakaki-Osaku family attending the Faire, Yugo and Rin moving out of the orphanage, Yuri joining the Duel Academy gardening club, and Celina transferring to Paradise Prep, everything was finally starting to return to normal for the Obsidians, who had spent the past couple days readjusting to their daily lives. It felt like forever since they last did anything at their house prior to the Invasion, so they have been readjusting to whatever they missed on their schedules…besides the haircuts and bath treatments.

At exactly 7am, the robot maids entered the individual rooms of the family members to wake them up. Lulu, on the other hand, woke up to her former nursemaid’s voice.

“GOOD MORNING, MISTRESS LULU,” Lillybot said. “SHALL I PREPARE YOUR MORNING TEA?”

Lulu sat up in her bed and politely yawned. “Of course,” she answered as she got out of bed, ready for her morning shower.

Meanwhile, in the guest bedroom, Yuto was still asleep…and his snores that were coming out of his wide open mouth were quite voluminous. Aside from that, the clothes he usually wears to bed looked untidy, with the bottom of the shirt exposing his lower torso, the left sleeve pulled down to reveal his shoulder, and the sleeves of his sweatpants slightly rolled up. His position made even appeared to have his legs spread out with his knees bent, his right arm over his head as it lies on the bed and the left arm over the edge. It’s also worth noting that the pillows were tossed all over the bed and the blanket was messed up—half-on and half-off the mattress. Speaking of which, it was the most comfortable mattress he has ever slept on. He wasn’t used to these at all, so this might be the best sleep he has ever had.

While Yuto slept, Orbital entered the room and approached the sleeping teen. “GOOD MORNING, MASTER Y-YUTO,” the head robo-butler said. “IT IS TIME FOR YOU-”

BONK!

Yuto had used the left arm that was dangling from the edge of the bed to turn off the alarm clock, but there was a slight problem: there was no alarm clock. The only piece of technology that was in the room besides the lights was Orbital 7, the Obsidians’ robotic head butler, who had just been mistaken for an alarm clock.

“MASTER Y-YUTO?” Orbital asked, but the eggplant-haired teen shifted in his sleep, not waking up at all.

Meanwhile, Lulu was already inside her personal bathroom, taking a shower. Ever since she was a toddler, she was given lessons and techniques on how to properly maintain a long and beautiful hairstyle, which she still does to this day. She even had to take care of it during the Invasion, but it was more difficult for her because trying to find places with decently functioning plumbing was a challenge. At least she was lucky enough to find water for the Resistance to drink and for her to wet and style her hair; with Heartland City destroyed at the time, it was improbable for anyone to shower, so she had to make due with what there was. So when she finally washed it thanks to Julia, she was so happy that her hair remained long and beautiful even after not bathing for months.

While Lulu was washing her hair with FeatherSoft shampoo, she heard a knock on the door. “Come in,” she said, wondering who wanted to see her since Lillybot was currently brewing her morning tea.

Orbital entered the bathroom. “MISTRESS L-LULU, MASTER Y-YUTO IS NOT WAKING UP,” he reported.

“Oh?” Lulu asked.

“I SUSPECT IT IS BECAUSE OF HIS NEW BED IN THE GUEST BEDROOM,” Orbital guessed.

Lulu let out a small, polite laugh. “Of course,” she said. “He must be used to the same type of mattresses Zuzu uses.”

“SO CAN YOU MAKE SURE HE WAKES UP?” Orbital asked.

“I’ll see him once I finish my shower,” Lulu said.

Some time later, Lulu had just gotten out of the shower and was wearing a light yellow bathrobe with a light blue towel wrapped around her head to help absorb some of the water in her hair before properly drying it and had on a pair of sleepwear slippers. She exited her room and walked over to the guest bedroom where Yuto slept for the night. The door was opened just a tiny bit and has been that way ever since Orbital wasn’t successful at waking him up. She slowly pushed it to check in on him, and sure enough, he was still on the bed in a deep slumber. He must have turned around and was now on his left side facing the doorway shortly after the robo-butler left, and Lulu couldn’t help but find him adorable as he slept. His legs were now closed, but the pant legs were still rolled up and his shoulder was still exposed; however, he was holding one of the pillows near his body. He must _really_ like the mattress her family has.

Letting out a small giggle, Lulu approached her sleeping boyfriend. “Yuto…” she said, gently touching his cheek. “It’s time to wake up…”

However, Yuto stopped snoring and moaned a bit from the slight contact. “Yuto…?” Lulu asked.

“Mom…” Yuto muttered in his sleep.

Lulu smiled softly, realizing he was dreaming about his mom. However, his content expression became that of fear.

“Yuto?” Lulu repeated, starting to sound concerned.

“Mom, don’t leave me…” Yuto said in his sleep. “Please… Don’t…” His eyes shot wide open. “MOM!”

Lulu was surprised, seeing her boyfriend heaving as he sat up. “Did you have a bad dream?” she asked.

Yuto looked around the room, confused. “…Where am I?” he asked.

“You’re in the guest bedroom,” Lulu answered. “You moved in last night after returning from a Renaissance Faire with the Sakakis.”

Yuto looked around the bedroom to see that he had indeed moved in last night. There was luggage next to the closet that contained his clothes he had packed, along with the Sword of Nobles hung up on the wall parallel to the bed and a small shrine on the right nightstand that contained the framed selfie of him and Lono, which was made last night in memory of her.

“Right…” Yuto said. “I forgot about that.”

“But did you really need to bring that sword with you?” Lulu asked. “It looks pretty dangerous.”

“It’s something I won at the Renaissance Faire,” Yuto explained. “Only true Knights with the kindest of hearts can wield the Sword of Nobles. It’s a reminder that I really belong here, among your kind.”

Lulu let out a small giggle and gave Yuto a ‘good morning’ kiss. “We can discuss this later,” she said. “Right now, you need to freshen up.”

“Oh, right,” Yuto said. He got out of bed. “Sorry for oversleeping.”

As Yuto walked over to the private bathroom in the room, Lillybot entered holding a teacup with a small plate. “YOUR MORNING TEA IS READY,” she told Lulu. “PLEASE REMEMBER TO SIP IT SLOWLY.”

“Thanks Lillybot,” Lulu said as Lillybot gave her the teacup.

“Morning tea?” Yuto repeated. “You drink tea every morning?”

“Mother said the time I take to drink from this teacup is the same amount of time needed to properly remove extra water from my hair,” Lulu explained. She took a sip from the teacup. “So I started drinking a special tea blend every morning a few years ago.”

“That’s pretty interesting to hear,” Yuto remarked before he closed the private bathroom door.

Upon turning around, he saw his reflection in the mirror and noticed how much of a sleepy mess he was. Aside from his rolled up pants and his shoulder poking out from the neck hole of his large shirt, he had a severe case of bed head as a result of him oversleeping. It was a good thing he was about to take his shower and he caught on how nicer it was when compared to his old bathroom and Yuya’s in fact, everything about this bathroom had a nice appearance. It just so happened to be his reaction when he first moved in—he loved everything about the house when he first saw it…that is, until one of the maidbots gave him a forced spa treatment because she thought he was a visitor of some sort. Because of that, special 'pampering-prevention’ protocols had to be activated. Who would have ever thought that such simple programs designed to avoid unnecessary grooming would come in handy?

Yuto noticed several bottles of shampoo on the bathroom counter. Curious, he picked up one of them and read the label. “Uh, Lulu?” he called out. “What kind of shampoo is 'MoonShine’?”

“It’s a special kind of shampoo focusing on a type of spa treatment called hair-therapy,” Lulu explained from outside the bathroom. “The kind my family buys focuses on detangling hair.”

Detangling hair? It does make sense since hair was vulnerable to getting tangled up in snarls and knots, as seen with Yuto’s bed head; he switched his sight between MoonShine, his messy hair, and the shampoo-stocked counter. Man, they sure do have a lot of shampoo brands, he thought to himself. And I’m just used to using only one. How do they even know who uses what?

Well, it shouldn’t matter to him regardless because as long as he continues using his Spike and Curl, he’ll be fine in terms of shampoo usage. …But dang, they seriously have a lot for their respective hair care regimens and spa treatments. Dandruff control. Silky and soft results. You name it. Some of the most expensive brands they bought were used to treat any familial hair issue, so it was nice that they were prepared, but do they really need several of them? Yuto assumed it must be a perk of being born in a wealthy, elite, and high-class environment and decided to carry on with his shower.

Once Yuto took off his sleepwear and put it in a nearby hamper, he stepped into the shower with the bottle of MoonShine he was holding and turned on the water. Standing underneath the shower hose, he let the warm water pour down from above and soak his hair and entire body; a multitude of droplets sprinkle onto the eggplant-shaped locks and flowed down the tangled strands while the rest made impact on his skin and slid down to the ground. Even though he was already clean from his spa treatment, he wanted to freshen up on his own without the hassle of maidbots catching him off guard and giving him one.

With him now soaking wet, he took the bottle of MoonShine and applied the same amount he typically uses with his shampoo brand. He caught a whiff of its scent—and found it to be quite sweet—before lathering it all over his hair. The scrubbing of his hands through the strands and on the scalp created foamy suds on top of his head. If he was going to be honest, it felt a little weird not using his own shampoo brand, but it does detangle hair, so he’ll be fine with it as long as it gets rid of his bed head. Will it still retain the same spiky results? Yuto asked himself. Guess there’s only one way to find out.

_“Look at you, Mr. Big-Shot. You’re finally livin’ the good life.”_

Yuto let out a chuckle as he applied some lavender-scented soap to his body. “Good morning to you too, Zarc,” he said.

_“So what’s the plan for today? A fun swim in the luxury pool? Being fed grapes as you get a manicure? Dueling with a diamond-encrusted Duel Disk?”_

“Actually, Mr. Obsidian gave me my new weekend schedule last night,” Yuto answered. “After breakfast, I’m supposed to begin my training as a wealthy person.”

_“Pfft. You don’t need training for that! All you need to get started is a huge bath of gold coins to swim in!”_

“Zarc, this isn’t like those old American cartoons,” Yuto said. “Apparently being wealthy involves a lot of hard work, especially with looking absolutely perfect.”

_“So you have to take boring lessons so you can marry your girlfriend? That doesn’t sound like fun.”_

“It kind of is,” Yuto said. “One of my lessons is ballroom dancing. I even have some time to work in the family gym.”

_“Okay, maybe some of those things are fun, especially the dancing bit.”_

Several minutes passed and Yuto had finished with his morning shower. His hair was already soaked from the water, but at least it took care of his bed head. But one look in the mirror revealed a new dilemma.

“Stop laughing,” Yuto told Zarc.

_“But your hair is all flat! How could I not find that funny?!”_

Zarc was right about Yuto’s hair looking completely flat; his light purple bangs were covering his eyes in a similar manner to how they behaved when he was a child, only they now left some gaps in between for him to see through. To top it all off, the black locks were flat enough to almost mirror Yuya’s hairstyle. Apparently, MoonShine doesn’t work well with spiky hair yet it does work for other types of hair, so that was kind of ironic to say the least.

“This is why I also have to use a hairdryer,” Yuto said. Luckily he found a hairdryer on the bathroom counter, so he plugged it in and used it and a brush to make sure his hair was dry and nicely brushed.

_“Didn’t you used to have shorter hair?”_

“Yes,” Yuto answered.

_“Then if managing that uncontrollable mess of hair is a problem, why not cut it short again?”_

“Because I actually like this style,” Yuto answered. “It helps emphasize my most attractive features.”

_“Oh right, I forgot you’re the one with the massive ego.”_

“I don’t have an ego,” Yuto explained. “I simply like it when other people tell me how handsome I look.”

_“Well if those memories of your childhood are any indication, it looks like that’s part of you being a mama’s boy.”_

Yuto blushed out of embarrassment after hearing that comment. It’s not his fault he grew up as an only child for most of his life and without a father. In fact, he has never known about his father throughout his entire life, so with the lack of knowledge on his identity and spending so much time with Lono, it was understandable on why he would enjoy other people’s compliments. And with Yuto being constantly smothered by love without a father figure, no wonder people would call him a mama’s boy.

“You are right,” Yuto said. He finished blow drying/brushing his hair into its usual spiky style and wrapped a towel around his waist. “I did grow up without a father fig-”

“Eep!”

Yuto stopped walking to see Lulu sitting in the guest bedroom’s chair right as he exited the private bathroom. She had abruptly paused with drinking her morning tea because she wasn’t expecting to see him shirtless. Her cheeks quickly flooded with a pink hue as her eyes were already locked onto his torso…and she could not look away from it.

Yuto smirked. “Like what you see, princess?” he asked, flexing his arm.

“Peeeehhhh… Haaaaaaa…” Lulu stammered, her fingers twitching slightly. Ultimately she snapped out of it and quickly looked away as she stood up. “Breakfast is currently being prepared. You should get dressed and meet us in the dining room.”

But before Yuto could reply, Lulu quickly left the guest bedroom, leaving the eggplant-haired teen confused. “Oh come on, Lulu!” he called out. “I saw you staring!”

_“Congratulations, Romeo. You just broke your girlfriend’s brain.”_

Yuto didn’t mean to; it’s like he said before: when people say he’s handsome, he knows it. Besides, he can’t help it if his figure is slightly more built than his counterparts. It was thanks to the Invasion that his muscles on his arms and chest were subtlety developing. Regardless, Lulu was right; with breakfast being made, they should get dressed. Now with complete privacy, Yuto got changed into his light gray tank top, dark gray, short-sleeved, button-up shirt, and dark jeans with his black belt along with his glasses while Lulu donned into the clothes she wore before the Invasion struck: a light yellow dress over a whitish-pale blue neck shirt, and a pair of white heeled shoes. She even tied her hair into her trademark bow-shaped hairstyle with her wing-shaped barrette.

When Yuto met up with Lulu in the hallway, he smiled softly at her. “What?” she asked.

“You should braid your hair more often,” Yuto suggested. “Braids make you look super cute.”

Lulu let out a small giggle. “Maybe tomorrow,” she said.

“I’m serious,” Yuto said as the two headed for the dining room. “I remember seeing you with braided hair during the Leo Corporation dance. I kid you not when I say you look absolutely adorable with braids.”

“Oh, stop,” Lulu playfully said.

“But it’s true,” Yuto said. He placed his hand on Lulu’s waist. “All that beautiful long hair done in a single braid is an amazing look for you.”

“I do like braids, but they’re a hassle to make,” Lulu explained. “Especially since I refuse to let anyone else touch my hair.”

“I know,” Yuto said, making sure his hand wasn’t near the long locks. “But you would still look adorable.”

Lulu giggled once again, with her cheeks that were bright pink earlier in the guest bedroom becoming a lighter rosy tint. Although it was difficult to do braids herself, she actually might consider trying to do them more often; at least it’ll help her improve on braiding her hair. With her brain already keeping that in mind, she and Yuto headed downstairs and towards the dining room. He wasn’t sure where it was located since he just moved in, but it was a good thing he can follow her to wherever it was somewhere on the first floor. Upon arriving, they saw Shay, Kameron, and Astra at the dining room getting ready to have their breakfast once it was done cooking.

“Good morning, Lulu,” Astra said.

“Good morning, dearest family,” Lulu replied with a small curtsey.

Yuto noticed Shay was wearing a black muscle shirt and dark grey shorts. “What’s with the getup?” the Phantom Knights user asked.

“This is what I wear when I go to the family gym for my workout routine,” Shay answered.

“But Shay, your weekend schedule starts with an hour and a half of business studies,” Kameron informed.

“I’m aware of that, father,” Shay said. “But Crow called me this morning. He wants a Turbo Duel rematch this afternoon.”

“A Turbo Duel?” Astra asked, confused and alarmed. “Since when did you get a Duel Runner license?”

“I didn’t,” Shay answered. “But I was given a Duel Runner during my time in the Synchro Dimension.”

“And this Crow person wants to duel you?” Kameron asked.

“Precisely,” Shay answered.

“But son, being the CEO of a major company is important,” Kameron said. “You have to understand that business normally comes first.”

“Your father is right,” Astra agreed. “We worked hard to make this company possible, and we need you to keep it running when we retire.”

“But surely I’ll have enough time to-” Shay started to say, but then some robot maids entered the dining room with food.

“YOUR BREAKFAST IS READY, OBSIDIAN FAMILY,” a robot maid said. “TODAY’S BREAKFAST IS PANCAKES AND GREASE-FREE BACON. ENJOY.”

As a few robot maids exited the kitchen to bring out plates of pancakes and bacon, Yuto was left surprised by what he witnessed. He has heard stuff about how wealthy parents normally treat their children, but it didn’t apply here because Kameron and Shay were quite civil with discussing their disagreements. Does that mean this family functions like a genuine family even though they live in a high class environment and are taught elite manners?

As the family (and Yuto) sat down to eat their breakfast, the discussion resumed. “As I was saying, father,” Shay continued. “Surely I’ll have enough time to duel Crow.”

Kameron thought about that idea. “That could work,” he said. “While I am unhappy with how you received a Duel Runner, we could have the duel take place during your resting hour from 5pm to 6pm. Is that alright?”

“Of course,” Shay answered. “Thank you for understanding.”

Astra noticed Yuto’s surprised expression. “Oh my goodness,” she said. “I’m sorry you had to witness that unfortunate squabble.”

Yuto was even more baffled. The way Astra apologized sounded like he saw a hostile argument. “You’re very civil about disagreements,” he remarked.

“Of course we are,” Kameron said. “Why argue when we can settle disputes with compromises?”

“Father is right, Yuto,” Lulu said. “We compromise about a lot of things. Why would you think otherwise?”

Yuto took a bite out of his provided pancakes. “Because while my mom was usually very loving, we often had arguments,” he explained. “It was mostly about how I wandered off in public places when I was younger. Apparently it had something to do with 'unexpected bursts of rage’ as she called it-” He stopped himself upon realizing what that meant. “Which would explain a lot.”

This epiphany made Yuto feel like his entire life felt somewhat different. His first time Awakening wasn’t from his mother’s sacrifice; according to faint memories he was now remembering, it actually happened on occasion throughout his childhood. Could that explain why he was always alone as a child? Why he was initially the outcast among the citizens of Heartland? Why he was drawn more towards the darkness? Why he chose the Phantom Knights as his archetype…and became knightly himself?

“No wonder mom always wanted me to smile,” Yuto realized.

“Well you don’t have to worry about that now,” Lulu reassured after swallowing a mouthful of pancake. “Zarc’s gone. You have nothing to worry about.”

_“Seriously Yuto? You still didn’t tell your girlfriend about me? Does she even know Ray’s in her head?”_

“You’re right,” Yuto told Lulu. He held her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I’m sorry for freaking out.”

_“Whatever. I’m gonna go see what Yuya’s up to. Hopefully it’s a lot more interesting than snobby rich stuff.”_

That being said, Zarc finished his mental communication with Yuto and vanished from his XYZ reincarnation’s mind. Well, he didn’t exactly vanish; not only can he talk to more than one of his reincarnations, but he can freely travel between all four of their minds to talk with them, which was he was doing right now. Surely, Yuya must be doing something interesting right now after returning from the Faire.

“So with that set aside, can you please change your clothing after breakfast?” Kameron asked Shay. “You know your time in the family gym is at exactly noon.”

“Certainly, father,” Shay replied.

“Noon?” Yuto asked. “That’s when I’m supposed to use the family gym.”

“Precisely,” Astra said. “I figured Shay could help get you started today. Which reminds me…” She looked over at Lulu, who was cutting her bacon into small pieces. “Lulu, I would like you to accompany Yuto for his ballroom dance lessons at 10:30am.”

“But why?” Lulu asked. “I have archery practice during that time.”

“For comfort reasons,” Astra answered. “I know you and Shay are used to the robot dance coach, but Yuto probably isn’t. Perhaps having his dance lessons with you could help him relax.”

Yuto took a bite out of his pancakes, blushing heavily. “Very well, mother,” Lulu agreed. “But what about my archery lessons?”

“They will occur starting at precisely 12:05pm,” Astra answered.

Yuto couldn’t believe what was happening. He just moved in last night, had the most comfortable sleep of his life, and he’s already receiving scheduled lessons…and his first one is with his girlfriend! Fortunately, the revelation of Lulu’s archery practice subsided his heavy blushing a little; he never knew she did archery, but why was she being taught lessons about it in the first place?

“I didn’t know you do archery,” Yuto remarked.

“It’s my way of getting exercise,” Lulu explained. “Mother said a gym is no place for a proper lady.”

“Precisely,” Astra chimed in. “Especially with your hair getting sweaty, and I’m aware of how long it takes for you to wash it.”

Ever since she was a toddler, Lulu always wanted to have long hair after watching several movies where actresses have long hair themselves. Astra reprogrammed Lillybot to not give out her daughter’s old haircut schedule and gave her lessons on how to take care of it over the years; as a result, she has adapted to it marvelously. Although the hair care regimen includes delicate brushing and thorough shampooing and conditioning, one of the benefits is styling it into ponytails, pigtails, braids, buns, and so on. It was rather mind-boggling on how Lulu was still able to maintain a luxurious hairstyle when water, plumbing, and hair products were scarce during the Invasion, but she definitely wasn’t a big fan of greasy hair. With that in mind, it was safe to say she doesn’t enjoy having sweaty hair either whether it is due to pumped-up adrenaline or a hot day.

“So that’s why I take archery,” Lulu said. “It isn’t a very active sport, but it’s perfect for strengthening the right amount of arm muscle.”

“I could tell,” Yuto noted, glancing at her arms.

A few hours later, at exactly 10:30 AM, both Yuto and Lulu arrived at the ballroom for his first ever lesson. He wasn’t sure what the Obsidians’ robotic coach is like or how these lessons go, so he felt a bit uneasy. More so, they were going to be spent with his girlfriend and he couldn’t help but feel somewhat flustered.

When Yuto and Lulu arrived at the ballroom, they were greeted by what was probably the robotic coach. “GREETINGS MASTER YUTO,” he said. “ARE YOU READY TO BEGIN YOUR FIRST DANCE LESSON?”

“Of course,” Yuto answered.

“EXCELLENT,” the robotic coach said. “TODAY’S LESSON WILL BE A BASIC WALTZ, SO PLEASE GET INTO POSITION WITH MISTRESS LULU.”

That confused Yuto. “Position…?” he asked.

“Just follow my lead,” Lulu said. “Well technically you’ll be the one leading me, but hopefully you get the picture.”

Yuto has never done a waltz before and wasn’t sure if he remembers seeing it on television due to his personality change over the last few years. At least he now has a good reason to try and watch Waltzing with the Idols just so he can understand how it is done. He followed what Lulu did and got into his starting position; little did he know, both waltzers have to start off by standing in close proximity, leaving him madly blushing.

“Are you alright?” Lulu asked, noticing Yuto’s blushy face.

“I’m fine,” Yuto lied, tightening his grip on Lulu’s waist. “So how does this work?”

“Well for starters, you take the lead,” Lulu explained. “Now take a step forward, then to your right.”

“Alright,” Yuto said, subtly glancing at his feet.

“Don’t look at your feet, you goof,” Lulu playfully said, brushing a hand through her boyfriend’s hair. “Look at me.”

Yuto was unable to stop himself from blushing as he felt her hand combing the light purple and black, thick strands. When she removed her hand from his head, they proceeded with the given lesson. They stared into each other’s eyes, with Yuto attempting to maintain his composure and relax the best he could, but a part of him was glad he can finally see her magenta eyes in person and being separated from his counterparts once again. After spending so much time searching for her, adjusting with sharing Yuya’s mind with Yugo and Yuri, and nearly escaping a mind merge, this was honestly all he wanted: being with his girlfriend. Because of Yuto’s deep gaze into Lulu’s eyes, he didn’t notice his feet had moved one step forward and one step to the right.

“That’s it,” Lulu happily said, moving along with the music. “Now repeat the steps, but this time glide me across the floor.”

“Of course, dearest princess,” Yuto said, half-paying attention due to him being so happy to see her in person.

With one hand on her back and the other holding her hand, he let his feet do the moving and carried on with sliding to the rhythm of the music with Lulu following suit. The progressing waltz melody guided them across the ballroom floor with mirroring steps and, surprisingly, the basic steps of performing this smooth dance: Yuto’s left foot and Lulu’s right foot moving together and vice versa, doing left and foot changes, box steps, forward progressives, and promenades. The robot coach was dumbfounded by the sight of the two pulling off the basics in a short amount of time.

“MY GOODNESS,” the robotic coach said. “YOU ARE A QUICK LEARNER, MASTER YUTO.”

“What can I say?” Yuto asked in response. “I’m only feeling the flow of the music.”

“Feeling the flow?” Lulu repeated. “I never heard you say that phrase before.”

“I just feel really happy to see you,” Yuto said as he gracefully twirled her around. “You’re so pretty and perfect. I missed you so much and I want to spend so much time with you.” An unusually wide grin appeared on his face. “Being with you just makes me want to high-five the sky!”

At that moment, his eyes shot wide open and he clapped both hands over his mouth, realizing what he just exclaimed. To be more specific, on how he blurted it out. He is usually never this enthusiastic and overly happy, which was better suited for Yugo, so what could have caused him to become so energetic all of a sudden?

“Are you alright?” Lulu asked, sounding a bit concern.

“I’m not sure,” Yuto admitted, calming down from his little excitement moment. “I haven’t seen you in such a long time. It must have given me a boost of adrenaline.”

“But you saw me during the LDS dance,” Lulu pointed out as she and Yuto got back into position to resume their waltz.

“While we were in Yuya and Zuzu’s bodies,” Yuto corrected. “I get that we were able to swap places with them, but it felt a bit off. Now I can actually feel your skin, see your pretty face, and even smell the sweet scent coming from your hair.”

A light pink tint developed on Lulu’s cheeks for two good reasons. First off, she was flattered about the compliments Yuto made about her skin, face, and hair. Second of all, and more importantly, she soon realized he was right about what he explained. Although she got to reunite with him at the LID dance, it was because their souls were merged in their Pendulum counterparts’ bodies; now that their physical bodies were recovered, they could finally be with each other once again without the threat of Duel Academy catching them off guard.

“You’re right,” Lulu said. “I can feel actual warmth coming from your hands.” She pressed her forehead against Yuto’s as the two continued their waltz lessons. “I guess being trapped within someone else’s body made me miss the actual feeling of touch.”

“I know,” Yuto agreed. He gave Lulu a brief yet loving kiss. “Being back in my body makes me want to cuddle with you every evening.”

Lulu let out a small laugh. “I didn’t know you’re a bedtime cuddler,” she remarked.

“I never grew out of that habit,” Yuto admitted. “I even remember those nights when I would have a hard time sleeping due to either thunderstorms or nightmares. When that happened, I would head over to my mom’s room and she would let me cuddle with her. When I got older, she gave me a body pillow as a substitute, which always proved to be effective.”

He quickly reassured her that it was a blank body pillow instead of _those_ body pillows, which she had a feeling it was. She then put two and two together and soon concluded why he had that severe case of bed head, snored loudly, and was in an overly-comfortable sleeping position. Without something or someone to cuddle with, he tends to have a difficult time going to sleep; he was lucky to have that mattress to give him one heck of a slumber.

“How about you move in to my room?” Lulu suggested, the two never breaking concentration from the waltz.

“Huh?” Yuto asked, confused.

“If you needed a body pillow to sleep, maybe I could be that pillow,” Lulu explained.

Yuto nearly dropped Lulu in shock, his face turning red. He was so embarrassed that he couldn’t speak properly. “Uh…”

“I mean, you can cuddle with me,” Lulu explained. “I’ll clear out some stuff in my room so you could have room for your stuff.”

“Are you sure?” Yuto asked. “It feels kind of weird…”

“But it would be nice practice for when we get married,” Lulu explained. “We will share a bed together. It wouldn’t hurt to get used to that feeling.”

She does have a point; because they are arranged to get married in the future, it’s never too late to begin adapting to a paired lifestyle, even if one of them involves sharing a bed. Besides, it’ll help make Yuto fall asleep faster if he moves in with her. She didn’t want to think about the amount of sleep he had during the Invasion and when he was merged with his counterparts, so at least that can also reduce the risk of restless nights he may get.

Feeling calm about this information, Yuto resumed his practice waltz with Lulu. “Alright,” he agreed. “I’ll sleep with you at night. Hopefully your parents have no problem with that.”

“Don’t worry,” Lulu said. “I’m sure everything will turn out alright.”


	9. Standard Issues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sure Yugo, Yuri, and Yuto might be glad to have their bodies back, but part of Yuya is starting to have second thoughts about the separation...

_“Whatever. I’m gonna go see what Yuya’s up to. Hopefully it’s a lot more interesting than snobby rich stuff.”_

Zarc left Yuto’s mind because his XYZ reincarnation hadn’t told Lulu about how he was still lingering around; heck, even he knows Ray has the same ability as he does now, only she can only do it with the Bracelet Girls. Not only that, but after spending the morning in the Obsidian residence, from the discussion of how wealthy people live their lives far differently than what he expected to Yuto’s amusing hair mishap, he needed someone else to talk to after witnessing this rich stuff fiasco. Hopefully, seeing what Yuya was up to can help concentrate on something else instead of this, especially because it’s not like the American cartoons he has seen.

As he whisked away from the city’s Heartland quarter, he traveled into the Paradise section where the morning was taking place; as of matter of fact, the morning rush was happening in all four corridors, with everyone busy with their own schedules for the day, so he wanted to see how Yuya was doing for today after attending the Faire. Unfortunately, as he entered into his mind, he was unaware—for a short time—of the fact his Pendulum reincarnation was in a pickle about something. What could he be so focused on that made him feel stressed, pressured, and unsure?

_“Uh… Hi, Yuya?”_

Even though he was awake, Yuya hasn’t gotten out of bed to have his mother’s pancakes for breakfast yet because he has been staring at his deck for a while, shuffling and scanning through his Performapals, his signature ace Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, and the dragon’s current variations as his thoughts dragged him away into his own mental conscious…that is until Zarc’s arrival caused him to snap back into reality and jump up from his bed.

_“Wow, you’re awake and still in your pajamas? Something must be on your mind.”_

Yuya let out a groan as he stood up. “Morning Zarc,” he said.

_“So what’s bothering you?”_

“Oh, nothing,” Yuya lied. “Just trying to figure out how these new Magician cards can work with my deck.”

_“Yeah, I’m not falling for that. You’re technically a part of me, so I can tell you’re upset about something.”_

“I told you, I’m fine,” Yuya insisted. “It’s not like I feel empty about the whole separation thing and I don’t deserve to be a pro anymore.” He let out an obviously fake laugh.

Zarc simply stood beside Yuya’s bed with his arms crossed, giving him an expression that clearly reads he wasn’t buying it, complete with an eyebrow raised upward. He knew what Yuya said was exactly what’s been bothering him: ever since Leo performed the blood separation, he has been feeling empty without his counterparts around and he feels like he isn’t an actual Pro Duelist because of that emptiness.

_“You can drop the act. I know you miss the other dragons.”_

Yuya sighed sadly. “I became a pro thanks to Dark Rebellion, Clear Wing, and Starving Venom. But now…” He fanned out his Extra Deck. “…even their Odd-Eyes upgrades are gone. My deck feels incomplete.”

_“So you’re short a few cards. Big deal. Can’t you go to a card shop and get new ones?”_

“It’s not that simple,” Yuya explained. “When I accepted myself as you, I felt complete. I finally discovered my dueling identity-”

_“Yuya, please shut up for once. You’re not me, you bozo! You’re you! You have goofy circus pets in your deck instead of just mystical Magicians and Sorcerers! Heck, before I gave into peer pressure, my Dueltaining mimicked basic gymnastics. So basically, you are NOTHING like me!”_

“But-” Yuya started to say.

_“But nothing. I’ll even help you get started. Take out your pendant and put it next to Tuning Magician.”_

“Why?” Yuya asked.

_“Trust me on this one. You’ll thank me later.”_

He shuffled through his cards and stopped when he found Tuning Magician somewhere in the middle of his deck. He pulled the card out and placed it in front of him before putting the rest of his cards on top of his bureau where his pendant rested. With his left hand, he grabbed onto the string that held the pendant and lied it down next to Tuning Magician to see if there would be some kind of reaction. So far, there seems to be no results from this and he was questioning exactly why Zarc wanted him to do this and if he knew what he was doing. Just then, the pendant started to glow blue-green, the same color that coincides with the Synchro Dimension, whether it was from Yugo when he Awakened, Rin, or the aura of the dimension itself.

“Wh-What’s going on?!” Yuya asked.

_“It’s the true power of your pendant. It can transform any plain old monster card and unlock its hidden Pendulum abilities, kind of like when it gave Odd-Eyes, your first two Magician cards, and a good chunk of your Performapals much-needed Pendulum makeovers.”_

Yuya was left mesmerized by this small yet amazing performance. The green energy from the pendant synchronized with the Tuning Magician card and it began glowing the same color before changing it to light blue, the same color as the pendant. As the card glowed, energy ascended from the bottom of the card, unlocking Tuning Magician’s Pendulum abilities and transforming her into Harmonizing Magician, a Scale 8 Level 4 DARK Spellcaster-Type Pendulum-Tuner monster with 0 ATK and DEF. Her monster effects prohibit her from being special summoned from the Extra Deck and used as Fusion, Synchro, or XYZ Material unless all the Materials are Pendulum Magicians. Additionally, if she was Pendulum Summoned from the hand, a Pendulum Magician monster—except herself—can be special summoned in defense position with their effects negated and can be banished when it leaves the field, but this can be done only once per turn. Her newly awakened Pendulum effect allows her to give every monster Yuya controls 100 ATK and DEF for every face-up Pendulum Magician on the field.

Yuya was at a loss of words and his mouth was left ajar from what he witnessed. His pendant didn’t just awaken Tuning Magician’s Pendulum abilities like it did with most of his monsters… It caused her to undergo a metamorphosis! He wasn’t sure if this was actually her Pendulum counterpart and if she could switch between herself and Harmonizing Magician, much like how he and Zuzu switched between their dimensional counterparts when their souls all harbored an individually respective body.

“Zarc, was Tuning Magician originally one of your cards?” Yuya asked after he regained his voice.

_“Nah, I never had that card in my deck. But I must say, that’s a much better look for her. Maybe all that love and care you gave her caused her to evolve into that new form.”_

Yuya’s eyebrows rose up in epiphany because what Zarc said could be true. He picked up Harmonizing Magician’s card and was locked into a deep stare with it, reminiscing the monster’s past. Jack Atlas did find Tuning Magician when he was a child and wanted to return her to her original owner, but he could only do that by becoming a strong Duelist, which inspired him to take part in the Friendship Cup and become the Master of Faster and New Domino City’s Duel King. When he handed her to Sam, the latter interpreted his statement of her being more suitable for him as being a weak monster, which was why he gave that card to Yuya. Even if that wasn’t the actual interpretation of what Jack said, he was glad to incorporate her into his deck; with Harmonizing Magician, he might have to rethink his Synchro strategies a little.

He then heard a knock on the door and rose his head up to see who it was, only for him to greeted by Sora, who wanted to see what his adopted older brother was up to. There was no way they were going to miss out on Yoko’s pancakes for breakfast.

“Geez, you’re still in your pajamas?” Sora asked. “What’s up with you?”

“Sora, do you know any card shops?” Yuya asked in response, taking Zarc’s advice of getting new cards.

“‘Course I do,” Sora answered. “Before this whole dimension war thing started, the Professor would treat his best students for a field trip to Domino City. One of the best hangout spots was Card Craze, a local card shop.”

“That’s perfect!” Yuya suddenly exclaimed as he rushed over to his closet. “Contact Zuzu while you’re at it!”

“Well someone is unusually cheerful,” Sora noticed.

Yuya started to rummage through his closet. “Why wouldn’t I be?” he asked. “I need to come up with brand new strategies with new cards!”

“Oh, right,” Sora remembered. “You’re now a pro-”

“Who cares about that?” Yuya asked. “I’ll talk to Declan about my new dueling status later.” He took out a maroon t-shirt. “For now, it’s time I regain my identity as an individual!”

Identity? Why would he focus on regaining his individuality instead of starting his new life as Pro Duelist? Sora pondered on why Yuya was concentrated on figuring himself out, but he didn’t mind it; as long as he gets to check out Card Craze, that’s fine with him. Now that he thought about it, he wondered if Zuzu wanted to join them, so he notified Yuya he’ll be downstairs, which was responded with an “okay” as he pulled out a pair of blue jeans, a white, short-sleeved hoodie with the hood and pockets bearing an orange hue, a plain black chocker, and his usual pair of sneakers. He knew having a different attire would help himself show his individuality during his personal mission.

After he got dressed, he ran towards the firepole and leapt towards it, holding onto it firmly with his right hand and his legs wrapped around it, leading to him sliding down to the first floor. Even before he landed on the floor, he could smell the essence of his mom’s pancakes coming from the kitchen and couldn’t wait to have some. What slowed him down, however, were some of the family’s pets greeting him, including En, Core, Kilo, and Watt.

“Good morning,” Yuya cheerfully said as he knelt down to scratch En’s belly as the corgi laid on his back. “It’s great to see all of you!”

“Yuya, breakfast is ready!” Yoko called out from the kitchen.

“Coming!” Yuya replied as he stood to his full height.

He scurried into the dining room, with the pets following him from behind, where he saw Yusho and Sora already at the table and Yoko cooking some pancakes for them. Sora was just about done contacting Zuzu to see if she had any plans for today and if she wanted to come with him and Yuya to Card Craze.

Yuya sat next to Sora at the table and started helping himself to pancakes. “Uh, Yuya?” the Frightfur user asked. “I’m not sure Zuzu is coming.”

“Mmm?” Yuya asked, already eating his breakfast.

“She said she hasn’t been interested in dueling lately,” Sora explained. “Ever since the separation procedure, she’s been feeling indifferent about her Melodious cards. Almost like they feel foreign to her.”

Yuya swallowed his mouthful of pancake. “What?!” he asked.

“That’s what she just told me,” Sora continued. “She wants to focus more on her dreams of being a music composer. In fact, she was apparently writing a new violin piece when I called her.”

“I know that bit,” Yuya recalled. “Ever since we were little, she has always dreamt of playing a grand symphony to everyone in the world.”

Zuzu had always enjoyed orchestras and symphonies when she was a child, even before the grand opening of You Show Duel School. Just watching people play their assigned sheets of music depending on if they’re part of the woodwinds, brass, percussions, or strings group fascinated her because of how coordinated and well-timed each group member plays thanks to the conductor. She even did a well-researched essay on Tchaikovsky as part of a history assignment and gave a copy of it to her music teacher, so why would she not be interested in dueling anymore? Her Melodious monsters emphasize her love for orchestras, from their names referencing famous composers to their regal designs that resemble musical notes or musical-related objects.

“Wait, so she really has a violin?” Sora asked.

“Well yeah,” Yuya confirmed. “She writes and performs her own original music. She’s so good at performing that it’s why she joined the school band.”

“That’s a relief,” Sora remarked. “But I don’t like how she apparently abandoned dueling.”

“Me neither,” Yuya agreed after swallowing another mouthful of pancake. “I hope she’s feeling alright.”

Meanwhile, at the Boyle residence, Zuzu adjusted a few sheets of paper with musical notes onto a stand to help her see what notes to play. She took a few steps away to pick up a small case from the floor and placed it on her bed, opening it up to reveal her violin and bow. Taking them out of the case and holding the violin in her left hand and the bow in her right, she walked back to her stand where her newest and original piece rested. She really was going to practice performing her song, and after everything that had happened up to the blood separation, this was the perfect opportunity to do so.

_“'The Enchanting Nightingale’? Is this one of your original works?”_

Zuzu raised her head up a little and had a subtle yet noticeable surprised look on her face. Standing in front of her was an apparition of her incarnation Ray, who was browsing through the sheet music; although Zuzu wasn’t expecting to have some company, this wasn’t the first time this has happened to her.

“…It is,” Zuzu finally answered.

_“I take it that you’re surprised by my appearance.”_

“I am,” Zuzu confirmed. “I thought you were spending the day in Rin’s mind.”

_“I did earlier today, but ever since she and Yugo started dating, I thought it might be best to give them some privacy. So with Celina busy getting a school uniform for Paradise Prep and Lulu unaware of my presence, I figured I might as well hang out with you. So what’s with this particular song?”_

“It’s something I wrote shortly after I was revived,” Zuzu explained. “The song’s story is about a guardian angel that takes the form of a little bird.”

_“So that stuff you told Sora is true? You’re feeling a bit bothered because of me?”_

“No!” Zuzu blurted out. She calmed down a bit. “Having you in my head is great, but that’s not what’s bothering me.”

_“Does it have to do with those special lessons with-”_

“Shh!” Zuzu blurted out. “I want to surprise Yuya. He can’t know about…” She took out two cards from her deck. “…this.”

These two cards were Opheli the Melodious Operetta and Beetho the Melodious Songstress, which were both created by Declan. Having their cards based on Pendulumstatues White Flower and White Butterfly respectively, they’re both LIGHT Fairy-Type Pendulum monsters, but Opheli is a Scale 9 Level 4 monster with 400 ATK and DEF while Beetho is a Scale 1 Level 10 monster with 1000 ATK and DEF. They also have effects that work in a similar manner in different circumstances given the types of cards they’re specifically targeted towards: Beetho’s Pendulum effect gives all the Melodious Divas and Melodious Maestras that Zuzu controls 200 ATK once per turn and her monster effect permits her owner to add a Melodious Spell card from her deck to her hand if she was special summoned; likewise, Opheli’s Pendulum effect increases all the Melodious Choirs that Zuzu controls 200 ATK once per turn and her monster effect allows a Fusion Spell card to be added from the deck to the hand if she was special summoned.

_“Ah, so you want to surprise your boyfriend with new summoning techniques.”_

Zuzu blushed heavily. “Yuya isn’t my boyfriend,” she denied. “He’s just a friend with pretty eyes and very soft hair.” But Ray let out a laugh in response.

_“You can’t hide your feelings from me. Lulu might have all my love and affection, but even I know you have a crush on Yuya Sakaki.”_

Ray was right; despite acting like the straight man in all of Yuya’s acts of buffoonery, Zuzu has developed a crush on him over the years. Even before and during their involvement in the Interdimensional War, she had shown evident signs of him harboring feelings for him, and overtime, he had soon realized his true emotions for her in his desperate mission to rescue her. Zuzu, however, tried her darnest to deny this obvious speculation despite knowing it was true.

“I don’t have time to think about this,” Zuzu said, attempting to change topics. She got into position for playing her violin. “I need to see if I got rusty after all these weeks.”

As she held onto the violin, her fingers pressed down on specific areas of the strings and slid the bow across to create the sound of the first note. Its pitch was exactly how it was depicted on the first page of the sheet music. No problems so far. She then moved onto the next few notes, swiftly shifting her fingers to different places and sliding the bow back and forth, capturing the varying tones. So far, so good. She proceeded to go through the page to tackle all the notes in her musical number, only stopping to flip it to the back side to continue. This was admittedly a minor nitpick for Zuzu; she enjoyed playing the violin and writing all her compositions, but if there was one thing about practicing, it’s pausing in order to get to the next couple pages. It didn’t bother her back then, but she hasn’t played the violin in what felt like forever. Even though she has the techniques memorized, she wished she could practice “The Enchanting Nightingale” straight through without dealing with the hassle of turning the pages.

As Zuzu continued her violin practice, a voice interrupted her concentration. “Zuzu, Yuya and Sora are here!” Skip called out.

“Tell them I’m busy!” Zuzu replied, not breaking concentration from her music.

A few seconds later, Skip called out again. “They still want to speak to you!” he said.

“I told you, I’m busy!” Zuzu insisted.

Unfortunately for her, Yuya and Sora still went to her bedroom because they were worried about why she suddenly became disinterested in Duel Monsters after regaining her body. As for Zuzu, her predicament did involve dueling but not what her friends were thinking; she didn’t want to spoil her surprise for Yuya about her new Pendulum monsters and something else she has been practicing.

“Alright Zuzu, start talking!” Yuya demanded.

However, Zuzu didn’t respond, wanting to concentrate on her music.

“Sora said you lost interest in Duel Monsters!” Yuya continued. “Is it because of Ray?”

“It has nothing to do with Ray,” Zuzu replied as she continued her song.

“Does it have to do with that 'world symphony’ Yuya mentioned?” Sora asked.

“If you mean my dreams of being a professional music composure, then yes,” Zuzu answered. “It’s more important to me than being a Dueltainer. I’ve been focusing on dueling for so long that I lost track of my true dream.”

“What, so you’re just gonna abandon dueling all together?” Yuya asked, starting to get annoyed.

“It’s only temporary,” Zuzu clarified. “I’ll get back interested in dueling once I perfect my violin skills.”

How long will that take exactly? Surely, she can’t spend so much time devoted to her dream career. She has already shown to be a great violinist during her time at Paradise Prep and she has easily managed the tasks of going to two schools, one for education and one for dueling, so if it wasn’t Ray that led her to abruptly stop dueling, then was it the war itself? Yuya’s irritation at the thought of her decision began to gradually boil; he does respect her dream for the future, but why would she do this to him? Sora spotted Yuya’s pacing change in emotion and stepped off to the side in worry while gesturing his head at Zuzu to have her see what’s going on.

Zuzu stopped practicing her song and carefully placed her violin on her bed. “Yuya…?” she asked, sounding concern.

“Please don’t leave me…” Yuya begged, his eyes glowing red. “I beg of you, please don’t leave me…”

Zuzu was surprised by the sudden mood swing. “I’m not going to leave you-”

“Do you even know what happened to me during the Interdimensional War?” Yuya interrupted. “When you faded in that green light…I lost control of myself.” A desperate look appeared on his face. “I need to be with you, Zuzu Boyle. You complete me.”

The green light… She knew this has recently become a trigger for them, but did it mentally hurt him that bad? Having her transferred into ARC-V against her will was the scariest thing that happened to him; it was even worse when all the dimension hopping in his dire rescue mission was nearly all for nothing because he was extremely close to losing her for good, especially when the Standard Dimension became the Pendulum Dimension. With everyone starting their new chapters of their lives, Yuya was hoping he would do the same thing with her. Now that she thought about it, she was certain this Card Craze place would have something that helps suit her surprise for him.

Zuzu let out a sigh of defeat. “Alright,” she said. “If you really want me to come to Card Craze with you, I’ll come.” She started to put her violin and bow back in the case and her sheet music in a nearby folder.

“Great!” Yuya happily said, almost like his irritation never happened. “I’ve never been to this Card Craze place before, but Sora said it’s a hangout spot for Duel Academy students.”

“Just leave all the talking to me,” Sora informed.

“How come?” Zuzu asked.

“Rumor had it that the store was once operated by the Rare Hunters, a group of rogue card thieves led by dueling cheat Keith Howard,” Sora explained. “They kinda disappeared after the whole dimension crisis, but I suspect they’re still hiding in Domino City.”

“Rare Hunters…?” Yuya mused to himself.

Where did he hear that phrase before? He couldn’t help but ponder on who this group is because he felt like he should know who they are. Maybe in another life? That could be it because he could picture in his head what appeared to be Domino City but looked more like an actual Japanese city instead of the one he and his friends were used to. All around him were dozens, hundreds, maybe even thousands of Duelists battling each other and receiving these transparent cards with portions of a full picture called Locator Cards. Was some kind of tournament going on? From the look of things, it was, especially when kept hearing what the name of it was: Battle City.

From within his memories, his surroundings weren’t the only thing he remembers. He seemed to know what took place at the time because he just so happened to be one of the many Duelists taking part in Battle City, which was weird considering he only participated in only two tournaments. Maybe this was his alternate self? Who knows. He did perceive the fact he only attended because he wanted to stop the Rare Hunters and their leader from getting their hands on the three Egyptian God Cards. This was peculiar because the Rare Hunters appeared to be more of a larger threat than the ones Sora explained; they even had a different leader who went by the name Marik Ishtar. Although a handful of them are willing to do his bidding, he would brainwash or deceive others into joining him, such as a former stage magician who became sadistic and insane as he challenged the alternate Yuya on who was the true Dark Magician master.

“Uh, Yuya?” Sora asked. “You feeling alright?”

“Huh?” Yuya muttered, snapping back to reality. “Oh, I’m fine.” He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, mussing up his fluffy hair in the process. “Let’s just get to Card Craze already.”

Sora led the way as Yuya and Zuzu went downstairs and out of the house to the nearest bus stop. According to the bus schedule that was displayed online through Sora’s Duel Disk, the earliest bus they can from Paradise to Domino will be arriving in less than ten minutes for its 10 AM departure. It was rather shocking that there were already buses that traveled through all four sections of the main city shortly after the Original Dimension returned; then again, this must be practice for them to get adapted to driving through a much bigger city.

A bus soon pulled up in front of the trio to pick them up and they all went through the open door; they then sat down in a few seats that were in between the front and middle portions of the bus before leaving the neighborhood. As the scenery transformed from Paradise’s modern city structures to Domino’s Venice-esque landscape, Yuya couldn’t shake off the feeling of this Arkana person he was suddenly “remembering.” This was his first time hearing about the Rare Hunters yet he felt like he has known about them for a long time; the ones Sora recalled sounded less notorious than their alternate selves, but nonetheless, they still weren’t to be treated lightly.

“Hey Sora, you mentioned someone named Keith Howard,” Yuya recalled. “Who is he?”

“The biggest cheat in dueling history,” Sora answered. “He cheated his way through professional tournaments, but his methods were usually overlooked. However, during the final round of the Intercontinental Championship tournament a few years ago, his opponent caught him pulling spare cards from underneath his wristbands, specifically countless 7 Completeds. He was instantly disqualified for not only sneaking in more cards despite the 40-card deck limit, but also having more than three copies of a single card. He was banned from taking part in future tournaments since then, officially earning the nickname 'the Bandit’.”

“Is that why he joined the Rare Hunters?” Zuzu asked.

“He didn’t just join the Rare Hunters,” Sora continued. “Rumor has it he founded that group out of spite. Now he makes a living hunting Duelists for their rare cards.”

That didn’t sound good at all yet he had a couple questions. If this was because Keith has so much spite against those that banned him, why was he searching for rare cards specifically? For that matter, how come no one in Domino has actually brought it up to the public? Was it because they view him and the Rare Hunters as a minor threat? Yuya just somehow could tell the danger they actually pose even though he has never interacted with them before.

“Alright passengers, we’ve arrived at Domino City, Building 134 in Block 75,” the bus driver announced. “Remember to take all your belongings before leaving the bus.”

Yuya turned his head from the window to where the bus driver was sitting, suddenly getting another feeling of déjà vu. Something about his voice sounded very familiar to him. Could it be? No, it couldn’t, Yuya thought. As he, Zuzu, and Sora got up from their seats, they all departed the bus through the door, where he caught a glimpse of what the driver looked like. He had spiky, black hair with a ponytail in the back and several thin strands on the front sides of his face and a smaller strand over his forehead. His eyes were a piercing emerald green and his skin was darker than a fair skin tone yet lighter than a tan one. What made him stand out to Yuya the most was his six-sided die earring on his left ear and his pendant he wore around his neck. Yuya slightly gasped at the person he saw, and right when he got off the bus, he was still in disbelief at the identity of the bus driver.

“Yuya?” Zuzu asked. “You alright? You seem to space out a lot today.”

“I’m not sure…” Yuya admitted.

“Well we can worry about it later,” Sora said. He cheerfully grinned. “Time to visit the old hangout spot!”


	10. Brand New Cards

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Sora takes Yuya and Zuzu to his favorite hangout in Domino City, the two Pendulum counterparts receive rather unexpected surprises...

With the bus now leaving, Sora led the way with Yuya and Zuzu following him as they all walked down to Card Craze. Yuya scanned the buildings on his left and right, checking to see if any of them rang a bell to him; so far, nothing seemed that memorable to him because of how they’re constructed. The only things that were familiar to him were the bus driver and the Rare Hunters…and he still couldn’t shake the feeling off of him, especially this Arkana guy. What was it about him that made him stand out above the rest? Yuya doesn’t even own a Dark Magician yet there was something about his sadism that made kept on edge.

Sora approached the shop’s counter. “Hiya Kenshin,” he told the shopkeeper. “Got anything good today?”

The shopkeeper, Kenshin, looked up from his computer and recognized the Frightfur user. “Sora Perse,” he acknowledged. “It’s good to see you again. And now that you mention it, I got a new shipment of cards…” He reached into a desk. “…especially this super special Fluffal card.”

“Wow, really?” Sora asked.

“Indeed,” Kenshin replied. He took out the card and showed it to Sora. “I just know she’ll be a perfect fit for you.”

Sora marveled at the card in front of him; the image depicted a fluffy, purple cat with angel wings and a pink bow. According to the card, it was Fluffal Cat, a Level 1 EARTH Fairy-Type monster with 700 ATK and 300 DEF. If she was sent to the Graveyard as Fusion Material, a Polymerization card that is in the Graveyard can be added to the Duelist’s hand, but this effect can only be done once per turn. What made her super special is because she’s a hard-to-find card, making it another reason for her to be a perfect fit for Sora’s deck.

“Whoa!” Sora exclaimed. “That’s one of the rarest Fluffal cards ever made! How did you get it?!”

“Oh, never mind my reasons,” Kenshin answered. “Think of this little cutie as a gift from me to you for being such an amazing cust-”

“YUYA!” Zuzu cried out.

Sora and Kenshin both turned their heads to see Zuzu restraining a livid Yuya, who was attempting to go after a fair-skinned man with dark indigo hair tied into a ponytail, dark blue eyes, and wearing a white suit with a red undershirt. Despite his appearance, Yuya could tell from how his face was genetically structured that the former was indeed Arkana and he wanted to show him a thing or two about utilizing magicians, but more importantly, treating his cards with respect and understanding to never betray them.

“You don’t deserve to be a Duelist!” Yuya snarled. “You’re nothing but a cheat who uses cards as a tool!”

Alarmed, Sora rushed over to the Pendulum counterparts. “What’s going on?!” he asked.

“I’m not sure!” Zuzu exclaimed. “Yuya saw this person and he started freaking out!”

“How dare you cut up your cards!” Yuya continued shouting. “A person like you should-”

“Yuya, calm down!” Sora said upon realizing who Yuya was talking to. “That’s Arkana! He’s one of the store employees!”

“Correct I am,” Arkana confirmed as he took out some playing cards. “It’s my job to serve as entertainment for the customers.” He started to shuffle the playing cards. “I would never tamper with these cards.”

As he spoke to Yuya, he split the cards into four even piles by dropping them onto a nearby table covered in a red tablecloth. He took the top three cards from the first pile and placed it on the bottom before taking the first three from the last pile and placing one on top of the remaining three. He then proceeded to repeat the procedure three more times until all four piles were randomly shuffled and neatly organized. He flipped the four top cards to reveal all four aces, surprising Yuya and Zuzu, who let go of her friend. Watching Arkana perform a card trick like that had manage to calm the latter down; maybe he may not be as bad as he initially thought.

“You’re…just a showman…” Yuya noted.

“But of course,” Arkana confirmed. “I can also assist customers with the best cards for their deck, something you clearly need.”

That alarmed Yuya. “How-”

“Do I know you need cards?” Arkana asked. “I learned how to detect a Duelist’s aura from my loving wife, who is a talented empath. And if your aura is any indication, I have just the cards for you.” He proceeded to fill over the four aces.

The backs of the aces faced up towards the ceiling, except they weren’t exactly the backs; instead, they were four Duel Monsters cards from the Odd-Eyes archetype. Yuya gasped at what each of them were: a Ritual monster named Odd-Eyes Gravity Dragon, an XYZ monster called Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon, a Synchro monster referred to as Odd-Eyes Meteorburst Dragon, and a Fusion monster identified as Odd-Eyes Vortex Dragon.

Yuya was absolutely amazed. “This is… This is exactly what my deck was missing! Thank you!”

“You’re quite welcome,” Arkana replied as he gave Yuya the four Odd-Eyes cards. “Now what would the young lady like?”

“Me?” Zuzu asked. She looked a bit nervous. “It’s kind of a surprise…”

“I understand,” Arkana said. He gave Zuzu a large white rose bud. “Then perhaps this will help you with your surprise.”

With the bud in the palms of her hands, Zuzu glanced closely at the closed petals which were showing signs of blooming yet they were still wrapped shut for a reason. She noticed small yet noticeable portions of two cards and her intrigue was beginning to show; those two cards were perfect for her to demonstrate her surprise she has been working on, and if that was the case, will they be compatible with her Melodious monsters? When she takes the bud home, she was going to find out for sure because she wanted to make sure Yuya will enjoy her surprise.

“It does,” Zuzu said. “Thanks.”

“Glad to be of service,” Arkana said with a bow. “And feel free to look around the shop. You might find even more cards to each of your likings.”

For the duration of their morning, Sora gave Yuya and Zuzu a little tour around Card Craze, explaining about how it was an ideal store for Duelists to trade their cards for new ones to help improve their decks or create unique strategies. The two Pendulum Duelists got to see a variety of cards from a broad range of archetypes, including those that were used by their previous owners and vintage prints. Zuzu did remember they were recently gaining attention and popularity and she recalled the time she bought an older Polymerization card for Rin to use. At the same time, she wondered if there will be even more archetypes available in stores now that the four dimensions were fused into one again.

As for Yuya, he soon found his eyes metaphorically glued to a display case. “Whoa…” he said.

Sora walked over to Yuya, realizing what he was looking at. “Yeah, they started printing out more Performapals,” he explained. “Pretty impressive, huh?”

“No kidding…” Yuya slurred, a glazed look in his eyes.

He couldn’t keep his eyes away from these two cards; the images contained two horned ladies, one with green eyes, a blonde ponytail with pink streaks on the bangs while dressed in light yellow and purple circus clothes and one with light blue pigtails, red eyes, and a white and purple circus suit. The cards stated their names were Performapals Uni and Corn and Yuya was falling head over heels for them. Unbeknownst to him, Sora had caught a glimpse of his fingers twitching, almost as if he wanted to touch something. After putting two and two together, it became to clear to the Fluffal user that his friend was not as innocent as he thought.

“I have to get those cards,” Yuya decided, wiping drool from the corner of his mouth. “They’re twice as cute!”

“I didn’t know you have a type,” Sora noted.

At that moment, Yuya remembered his adopted brother was standing next to him. “What?!” he blurted out, embarrassed. “Who said I have a type?”

“Whatever you say, lusty,” Sora said, playing along. “So do you see any other cards you like?”

Snapping out of his trance, Yuya looked at the other cards on display. “Hmm… I don’t have any of these Performapals,” he decided, referring to the Performapal cards Handsome Liger, Ballad, and Barracuda.

“You’re not interested in those new Odd-Eyes Pendulum cards?” Sora asked.

“Wait, what?!” Yuya asked in response.

“Yeah, Leo made them as a way of saying thanks for getting rid of Zarc once and for all,” Sora explained. “It’s an exclusive three-card pack featuring Odd-Eyes Mirage Dragon, Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon, and Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon.”

Yuya dropped his jaw out of disbelief. Three more Odd-Eyes dragons?! He was really hitting the jackpot at this place. Whatever these three monsters are, he knew they would all be great additions to his deck, mainly because of Absolute Dragon’s abilities to special summon an Odd-Eyes monster from the Extra Deck, hand, or Graveyard. He also knew he was going to spend some time strategizing and experimenting with his new dragons and Performapals, but it was going to be worth it.

“Man, I can’t wait to add these new cards to my deck,” Yuya happily said. “And maybe afterwards we can test them out at You Show.”

That caught Zuzu’s attention. “Did you say ‘You Show’?” she asked, approaching the Sakaki-Perse brothers.

“Well yeah,” Yuya answered. “For testing out our new decks-”

“I’m in!” Zuzu blurted out, thrilled.

“How about that?” Sora innocently asked. “All it took was one trip to this card store and you’re already pumped for a duel.”

“I…have my reasons,” Zuzu explained.

Of course, she needed to be make sure her reasons were done perfectly because she, Yuya, and Sora returned to their homes later that day to reconstruct their decks with the new cards they purchased. She had the rose bud held carefully in the palm of her hands for the entire ride back to her house and has been waiting patiently for the petals to open up a bit more. Even as she sat on her bed, she was still left wondering if those two hidden cards were what she had in mind. Suddenly, as if it was coated with some kind of magic, the bud began to glow and ascended into the air, shocking Zuzu and grabbing Ray’s attention.

“Okay, what’s going on?!” Zuzu asked.

_“I honestly don’t know. I get that Arkana guy is a magician, but this is ridiculous.”_

The glowing petals then proceeded to spread themselves wide and bloom into a fully grown rose before flashing its luminescent light and shortly blinding Zuzu. When she removed her arm away from her eyes, she gasped at what took the rose’s place: two glowing cards which slowly descended until she got a hold of them on each hand. The glowing quickly stopped and Zuzu was left breathless at the sight of the two Duel Monsters cards. These were exactly what she hoped she would get to show off her surprise.

“I… I can’t believe it…” Zuzu said, looking at the two cards. “These cards are perfect…”

_“I guess Arkana is more magical than we thought.”_

“Yeah…” Zuzu agreed. A smile slowly appeared on her face. “I can’t wait to show my new skills to Yuya.”

Meanwhile, Yuya was back in his bedroom giving his deck a major overhaul; he was obviously keeping his current Performapals and Odd-Eyes monsters, but he wanted to give his new cards a chance. Seven additional Odd-Eyes dragons, five more Performapals, and an added bonus: Magicians. Now you’re probably guessing that he must have bought those cards after getting the ones he wanted, but in actuality, Zarc was the one who gave them to him. They consisted of Pendulum Magicians named Dharma-Eye, Nobledragon, Oafdragon, Wisdom-Eye, Dragonpit, and Dragonpulse Magicians, an XYZ monster named Timestar Magician, and the Four Dimension Dragons’ Magician forms: Double Iris, Black Fang, White Wing, and Purple Poison Magicians. With all of these new monsters, it was pretty clear that Yuya was going to be busy with his deck reconstruction for a little while.

_“Looks like someone is in deep thought. Still trying to figure out your new strategies?”_

“More like trying to figure out which cards I should use,” Yuya corrected, having already separated his cards into three separate stacks for each archetype. “Performapals, Magicians, Odd-Eyes… Which ones would be best for who I am now?” Zarc groaned in response.

_“This again? I already told you you’re nothing like me.”_

“But I just realized the archetypes represent who I am,” Yuya explained. “Dad gave me my starting Performapals, the Magicians originated from your deck, and Odd-Eyes…” He picked up his ace’s card. “Is he also a part of you?”

_“Nah, you’ve got that wrong. Odd-Eyes Dragon was my star ace, not Odd-Eyes **Pendulum** Dragon. And look at all the new Odd-Eyes cards you got. Heck, we haven’t even seen what was in the envelope that Kenshin guy gave you.”_

Before leaving Card Craze, Kenshin had handed an envelope to Yuya, which was now resting on his bed next to his cards. He picked it up and inspected the front and back, wondering who it was from or what was in it; it didn’t say the name of the person, but hopefully a message in there would shed some light. He opened up the sealed flap and saw there was indeed something inside, so he took them out to realize it was another Duel Monsters card and a folded sheet of paper, which contained a message for Yuya.

Hey Yuya! I’m not sure if I ever told you, but I originally joined Duel Academy to be a card designer. So, like, I made this card as a way of thanking you for helping everyone at the school.

I hope we can duel for funsies in the future!

-Grace Tyler

A light blush dusted onto Yuya’s face. “Grace…?” he muttered.

_“So what’s the card she made for you?”_

Yuya looked at the card Grace made for him; the image showed a dark-colored dragon with the same red and green eyes from Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and has features from Yuya’s pendant, including an arc on each side of his body. This monster was known as Odd-Eyes Arc Pendulum Dragon, a Scale 8 Level 7 DARK Dragon-Type normal Pendulum monster with 2700 ATK and 2000 DEF. Because he is a normal monster, he doesn’t have a monster effect, but his Pendulum effect allows Yuya to special summon an Odd-Eyes monster from hand, deck, or Graveyard if one or more Odd-Eyes monsters he controls are destroyed by battle or card effect, but it can only be done once per turn.

Yuya noticed the description text printed on the card. “Made from miracles, this valiant and beautiful dragon has gleaming eyes that reflect an arc drawn in the sky,” he read. A small smile slowly appeared on his face. “I can’t believe Grace actually designed this card. It looks beautiful.”

_“No kidding. Kinda hard to believe this is the same girl who tried to hunt you down with a tiger.”_

“She even used my pendant as part of the design,” Yuya said. “Could this card represent how she sees me?”

_“I guess. You do have a way of attracting ladies despite Yuto having all of my natural charm.”_

“Not like that,” Yuya said. He carefully lifted up his right hand and touched his left arm. “I never noticed it before, but I feel…different.”

“Good different or bad different?”

“I’m not sure,” Yuya admitted. He walked over to a mirror and lifted up his maroon t-shirt, surprising him. “What the…?”

Staring at the reflection in the mirror, he could see scars all over the front torso and all around his upper arms. He has never noticed them before, even after the four dimensions were split back, so why was he seeing the differences in his body now? Was this why he didn’t feel like himself all of a sudden?

_“Yeah, sorry about that. I might have made some…modifications to your body while I took over. There are also scars on your ankles and back, so what you see isn’t a big deal.”_

“Not a big deal?!” Yuya asked as he lowered his t-shirt. “This is my body!” He gripped his arm. “Did you also stretch my arms and legs?!”

_“Nah, that wasn’t me.”_

That took Yuya by surprise. “Wait, what?” he asked. “Then why-”

_“Geez, you haven’t figured it out? You’re growing.”_

Growing? Yuya looked back into the mirror to see what Zarc meant by it and saw his face was losing some baby fat, but the biggest change he went through were seen in his eyes…literally. His eye color was no longer his usual crimson hue, but they have now transformed into something more heterochromatic; his left iris was now green while the right became red, which were coincidentally the exact same eye colors as Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. Yuya’s face showed some mild concern as the changed he underwent, but the bigger problem was on whether or not he should like his new eye colors.

Briefly shrugging out of his concern, Yuya instead focused on how much his body has matured. “Did I go through puberty during the Interdimensional War?” he wondered aloud.

“Looks like it. You’re getting older, no longer the cheerful child you were before this whole ordeal happened. Maybe your new deck should reflect that.”

Yuya looked back at his cards. “Of course,” he said, walking back to his bed. “I shouldn’t use mostly Performapals as much anymore.” He put Hip Hippo aside from his other Performapals. “I should be running an Odd-Eyes mix deck, using mostly Odd-Eyes cards mixed with Magicians and Performapals.”

_“But you’ll still keep in Hip Hippo?”_

“Of course,” Yuya answered as he was about to rearrange his cards into a single deck. “He’s Odd-Eyes’ second-in-command. Can’t run the show without him.”

All of a sudden, his deck began to glow light blue in reaction to what he just said. Yuya was left breathless as the light grew brighter and brighter until it diminished around a single card lying on top of his deck. He sat on his bed, staring at his cards and wondering what happened before drawing the top card. He examined it and let out an audible gasp because he had acquired yet another Odd-Eyes card; this time, it was Odd-Eyes Revolution Dragon, a Scale 12 Level 12 LIGHT Dragon-Type Pendulum monster with an unknown number of ATK and DEF as designated by the question marks. His Pendulum effects prohibits Pendulum Summoning monsters unless they’re Dragon-Type monsters—with it not being negated—and can target and special summon a Dragon-Type Fusion, Synchro, or XYZ monster from the Graveyard by destroying this card. If he was going to be summoned onto the field, then he has to either be Pendulum Summoned from the hand or special summoned by tributing three Dragon-Type monsters: one Fusion, one Synchro, and one XYZ. His monster effect allows Yuya to discard him and pay 500 LP in order to add a Level 8 or lower Dragon-Type Pendulum monster from the deck to his hand, gaining ATK and DEF equal to half of the opponent’s LP. Also, once per turn, Yuya can pay half of his Life Points to shuffle all other cards on the field and in the Graveyards into the deck.

“Whoa…” Yuya said. “This is like the polar opposite of Supreme King Z-Arc!”

_“I would agree with you, but this is a pure Odd-Eyes card, not a combination of the four dragons.”_

That made Yuya have a sudden realization. He took out Odd-Eyes Absolute, Meteorburst, and Vortex Dragons from his deck. “This requires tributing an XYZ dragon, and Synchro dragon, and a Fusion dragon,” he said. “Like maybe my new Extra Deck cards.” His eyes lit up in inspiration as he suddenly imagined brand new combos and strategies.

_“I take it you’re finally figuring out your new deck.”_

“You bet,” Yuya confirmed. He proceeded to begin rebuilding his deck. “Time to get to work on this new Odd-Eyes mix deck!”

Some time later, during the afternoon hours, Yuya met up with Zuzu and Sora at You Show Duel School. Unlike academic schools, duel schools are open for all seven days of the week so that future Duelists will get as much time on their lessons and practice sessions as they needed. In their case, they chose to meet up there because they finished reconstructing their decks and wanted to test out their new strategies, so what better way to experiment with them than a Battle Royale. So with Tate, Ally, and Fredrick, and Gong watching, three-way duel began.

“Time to let the show begin!” Yuya exclaimed, beginning the opening chant.

“This performance is bound to be a wonderful delight!” Zuzu added.

“With a show you certainly won’t forget!” Sora chimed in.

“So let’s…begin!” the three exclaimed in unison.

Gong pressed on a button on a keyboard to activate the Action Field. This one was called Dragon Fountain Spring, which looks similar to Plain Plain but has been upgraded to have an Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon fountain in the center.

**Augmented Reality Combat System energized. Generating Action Field.**

Below the floor, light beams were released from the ARC System, causing them to generate the selected Action Field in the duel room. Yuya gazed at the implemented upgrades to Dragon Fountain Spring, including the Odd-Eyes fountain standing on the pedestal. He then proceed to activate his Duel Disk along with Zuzu and Sora. The text saying “Duel Mode” before switching to “Standby” appeared on their screens as the compartments housing their Main and Extra Decks popped out and their blades materialized in front of their Duel Disks. With a snap from Yuya’s fingers, Action Cards scattered all over the field and the trio exclaimed, “Let’s duel!” Starting off with 4000 Life Points each, Sora went first.

“I’ll start things off with the Spell card Instant Fusion!” Sora began. “Sure it costs me a huge chunk of my life points, but it’s worth it. Come on out, Frightfur Sheep!”

As his Life Points decreased to 3000, two copper buzz saw-like appendages emerged from a stuffed sheep body and the chains wrapped around him started coming loose a little. His mechanical jaws unleashed sparks from rubbing against each other before landing on the monster zone. Normally, according to Battle Royale rules, Duelists aren’t allowed to attack on their first turns, but since Instant Fusion also has an effect where Fusion Summoned monsters can’t attack, it didn’t bother Sora at all because of his other effect and what Frightfur Sheep can do.

“Then I end my turn,” Sora concluded.

“What?” Yuya asked. “That’s it?”

“Well yeah,” Sora answered. “Which means Frightfur Sheep goes to my Graveyard, yet due to his ability, he comes back even stronger!”

The Graveyard portal opened up below Frightfur Sheep and he fell right into it, but right as he was destroyed, the particles condensed themselves into a single yellow light before unveiling the Fusion monster back onto the monster zone. His ATK rose up to 2800, leaving Yuya confused. He thought Frightfur Sheep only increases his ATK if he was destroyed by battle or by an opponent’s card effect once per turn, but Sora explained that he got a rare variant of his monster at Card Craze in which he gains ATK if he was destroyed by battle or by anyone’s card effect once per turn. They recently upgraded chain sheep’s effects some time after the Interdimensional War ended, so he wanted to take full advantage of it.

The information concerned Yuya a little because he knew it was a bit of a clever strategy Sora pulled. He was going to have to be a bit more careful in this duel yet he wanted to give his new Performapals and Odd-Eyes cards a chance at the spotlight.

“My turn!” Yuya happily declared as he drew a card. “Ladies and gentlemen, today’s a very special day! My new assistant is gonna make her debut!”

“Wait… Assistant?” Zuzu questioned.

“And now, kicking off her introduction in today’s duel, please give a warm welcome to Performapal Uni!” Yuya continued.

Uni jumped out from the holographic light and into the air before landing onto the field. Based on her stats, she is a Level 4 LIGHT Beast-Warrior-Type monster with 800 ATK and 1500 DEF. Once per turn, a Level 3 or lower Performapal can be special summoned from Yuya’s hand in attack position during the Main Phase of the turn she was normal or special summoned. During the opponent’s turn, if battle damage was going to be dealt, her quick effect can be activated by banishing one other Performapal and herself from the Graveyard to negate said damage. While her effects were impressive, her appearance was more…how to put it mildly, suggestive. Gong panicked at what Uni was wearing and prompted Frederick, Tate, and Allie to shield their eyes.

“Yuya, what is that card?!” Gong horrifying asked.

“Just my lovely new assistant,” Yuya answered. “But I’m not just summoning her during my turn. Thanks to her special ability, I can special summon a companion Performapal. So say hello to Performapal Corn!”

Placing her two fingers on her lips, a heart escape from Uni’s smooch and floated next to her before popping to reveal Performapal Corn, a Level 3 LIGHT Beast-Warrior-Type monster with 600 ATK and 1000 DEF. Once per turn, during the Main Phase of the turn she was normal or special summoned, she can target one other Performapal that Yuya controls with 1000 ATK or less and switch that target and herself from face-up attack position to defense position, resulting in an Odd-Eyes monster getting from his deck to his hand. She also has a similar quick effect in which she can banish one other Performapal and herself from the Graveyard to gain 500 Life Points during the opponent’s turn.

“And as you can see, these two girls are twice as cute!” Yuya happily said.

“Unicorn!” Performapals Uni and Corn exclaimed as they posed.

Zuzu was having difficulty processing on what happened, as shown by her shocked face and dropped jaw. She never knew those cards existed in the first place; should she be jealous by this or not?

“Now to truly begin my entertainment!” Yuya continued. “I activate Performapal Corn’s special ability! By switching her and Uni to defense mode, she lets me retrieve an Odd-Eyes monster from my deck and add it to my hand.”

Corn covered her mouth with her fingers and kissed out a heart that floated towards Yuya. Once it hovered over his right hand, it popped in order to let a card fall right in his grasp. This selected card was Performapal Odd-Eyes Synchron; he hasn’t used this monster since his duels against Jack and Declan, so no doubt it will be useful again. And since it is a member of three archetypes, it was a great maneuver of him to specifically choose him.

“Now to finally let this duel swing my way!” Yuya declared. “For starters, I’ll use Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon and Performapal Odd-Eyes Unicorn to set the Pendulum Scale! I’m taking control of this duel starting now!”

Yuya placed his Scale 1 Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon and Scale 8 Performapal Odd-Eyes Unicorn on the Pendulum Zones, located on the opposite ends of his Duel Disk blade. His monsters then ascended into the air with the numbers 1 and 8 appearing below them and a larger version of his pendant dangling in between them. With everything set, he can now Pendulum Summon his monsters from Level 2 to Level 7.

“I’m allowed to summon monsters from Levels 2 and 7 all at the same time!” Yuya continued. “Swing far, Pendulum! Carve the arc of victory! My monsters are ready…to SWING INTO ACTIOOOOOON!”

The Pendulum portal opened up and two trails of colored aura soared out of it before landing on two monster zones to reveal themselves as Performapal Odd-Eyes Light Phoenix and Synchron. With his monsters having a Level of 5 and 2 respectively, Yuya had the necessary monsters he needed to bring out one of his newest dragons.

“Now it’s time to bring out one of my newest stars!” Yuya announced. “I tune Level 2 Performapal Odd-Eyes Synchron with Level 5 Performapal Odd-Eyes Light Phoenix! Take off into the night sky and bring down a meteor shower that sparkles so bright! I Synchro Summon Odd-Eyes Meteorburst Dragon!”

The sky suddenly turned dark for a brief moment as meteors rained down and pelted the ground. One of them stood out from the rest because it looked more like a red-colored shooting star, and upon impact, chunks of dirt and soil were kicked up into the air before falling back down. As the dust settled and the sky returned to normal, a red dragon stood in the middle of Yuya’s side of the field: Odd-Eyes Meteorburst Dragon, a Level 7 FIRE Dragon-Type Synchro monster with 2500 ATK and 2000 DEF. When special summoned, a monster in the Pendulum Zone can be special summoned onto the field at the expense of Meteorburst Dragon not attacking for the rest of the turn; naturally, this effect can be done once per turn. Also, any and all monsters that the opponent controls cannot activate their effects during the Battle Phase.

“I activate Odd-Eyes Meteorburst Dragon’s special ability!” Yuya continued. “Call over Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon and have him join this party!”

Meteorburst Dragon turned around to face Persona Dragon and unleashed a roar into the sky. He then sharply rotated his body to have his tail wrap the latter and drag him from the Pendulum Zone and onto one of the available monster zones; one can describe this as a similar manner to a cowboy lassoing up cattle.

“Now to make sure my dragons are protected,” Yuya added. “I activate the Field Spell Sky Iris! Now Performapal Odd-Eyes Unicorn can’t be targeted by any card effects!”

Right as the Spell was activated, Yuya’s pendant glowed in front of him, catching him off guard. He couldn’t find the right words to express his reaction, but his eyes slightly shifted upwards and he saw his pendant materialized above his monsters. It was slowly circling around as if someone had just picked it up by the string; as the seconds passed, however, it was picking up in speed, leaving behind a trail of light from the icy blue crystal. Just then, a portal reminiscent to the Pendulum Portal opened up and streaks of blue, green, yellow, and red light surrounded Performapal Odd-Eyes Unicorn while a thick, rainbow beam of light shot upwards from the same trail. As fast as it occurred, the portal closed, the light diminished, and the pendant vanished from the field, causing it to stop glowing. A speechless Yuya couldn’t believe the visual effects this Field Spell packed, especially the aftermath it left behind because his dragon was now coated in a surrounding rainbow aura.

“Usually I would attack at this point,” Yuya said. “But since this is a Battle Royale, I have to end my turn.”

“Alright,” Zuzu said. “It’s my turn! I draw!” As she drew a card, a trail of music notes appeared from her hand. “I set my Pendulum Scale with Beetho the Melodious Songstress and Opheli the Melodious Operetta!”

That declaration surprised Yuya. “You got Pendulum cards?” he asked.

“Well of course,” Zuzu answered. “Did you think I was going to sit back and become a spectator while you continued to evolve your deck?”

“No, of course not,” Yuya sheepishly admitted. “You just didn’t seem like dueling these days and-”

“It’s called acting,” Zuzu interrupted. “I wanted to surprise you with my new cards. And now it’s time to show you my brand new skills!”

She placed her Scale 1 Beetho and Scale 9 Opheli set on the Pendulum Zones, causing the word “PENDULUM” to appear on her Duel Disk blade. Her two monsters ascended into the air, and upon stopping, the numbers 1 and 9 faded in below them. Yuya and Sora marveled at what her two new Melodious monsters’ appearances; not only were they based on Pendulumstatues White Butterfly and White Flower respectively, Beetho was also a green-skinned girl who donned a piano dress while Opheli had blonde hair and dressed in black while wearing a white mask. Keeping the tradition of being based on anything music-related, Beetho’s name derives from the famous composer and pianist Ludwig van Beethoven and Opheli’s clothing paralleled to the Phantom’s appearance from Phantom of the Opera.

“Fairies of song, lend me your voices!” Zuzu chanted. “Take flight onto the stage in a beautiful harmony! I enact the Pendulum Summon of floral glory!”

The Pendulum portal reopened but on Zuzu’s side of the field as three trails of light swooped down onto the middle three monster zones. The monsters she chose were Mozarta the Melodious Maestra and two copies of Sonata the Melodious Diva. Suddenly, a bright pink glow blinded Zuzu from her right cheek, leaving her baffled by this strange reaction. What exactly triggered this glow? Was it normal or something out of the ordinary? As for Yuya and Sora, they saw the pink glow too, but because of the surrounding light pillars, they assumed it was Beetho and Opheli glowing pink whenever they’re used for a Pendulum Summon.

“But I’m not done!” Zuzu continued. “I haven’t done my normal summon for this turn.” She revealed the last card in her hand. “So say hello to my newest card: the Tuner monster Buten!”

A blue-eyed pig with wings flew onto the field and next to Mozarta. Like Zuzu said, that monster was Buten, a Level 1 LIGHT Fairy-Type Tuner monster with 200 ATK and 300 DEF. During her Main Phase, she can banish this card from the Graveyard in order to target a Level 4 or lower LIGHT Fairy-Type monster and treat it as a Tuner monster. Yuya and Sora faced each other and turned their attentions back to Zuzu; did they actually hear her say “Tuner?” If so, then is she going to do what they think she is going to do?

“Now watch as I tune Buten with my two Sonatas!” Zuzu declared. “Fairies of wonder, sing with delight! The queen of all fairies has arrived! I Synchro Summon Ancient Sacred Wyvern!”

In a bright flash of light, a monster sailed through the air from where the tuned materials were and landed next to Mozarta. Sure enough, that was Ancient Sacred Wyvern, a Level 7 LIGHT Fairy-Type Synchro monster with 2100 ATK and 2000 DEF who requires 1 LIGHT Tuner and 1 or more non-Tuner monsters. One of her main effects revolves around Life Points and her ATK: if Zuzu’s is greater than her opponent’s, then she gains ATK equal to the difference between the two; if it was less than the other, however, she loses ATK equal to the difference. Additionally, if she were to be destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, Zuzu can pay 1000 LP to special summon her.

Since this is a Battle Royale, that meant Zuzu had two opponents to face off against, making it Wyvern’s usage of her effect more complex. She and Yuya both have 4000 Life Points while Sora has 3000, so that would make the total difference 1000 ATK. Because Sora has less Life Points than Zuzu, 1000 ATK is added to Wyvern, making it 3100 ATK.

“Wait, since when did you learn how to Synchro Summon?!” Yuya asked.

“Gong’s been giving me private lessons,” Zuzu answered. “Oh, and I forgot to mention one detail: because I Pendulum Summoned my two Sonatas, Mozarta gained an additional 1000 attack points.”

“Oh boy…” Sora remarked.

“That’s right,” Zuzu cheerfully said. “My fun’s just getting started!”


	11. New Changes in Standard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New things are coming for Yuya and his friends...

With Mozarta’s ATK now at 3600, it was time for Zuzu to unleash her Battle Phase; after everything that has happened, it felt so nice to start dueling again. Now, which monster should attack who? After some quick thinking, she made up her mind and proceeded to let her monsters bring out their attacks.

“Ancient Sacred Wyvern, attack Odd-Eyes Meteorburst Dragon!” Zuzu declared. “Heavenly Judgement!”

Her golden yellow mane and side tails began to illuminate and she soared to the other side of the field where Meteorburst Dragon was. Instead of charging at him, she rose up into the air, stopping at a good distance above him before rotating in a perfect circular motion that resulted in gold halos raining down above him. Zuzu’s plan was to have her Synchro monster pour down these halos, which will then trap Meteorburst Dragon and inflict 600 points of damage.

“Not so fast!” Yuya countered as he quickly snatched an Action Card off the ground. “I activate the Action Spell Miracle to save Odd-Eyes Meteorburst Dragon!”

The halos stacked on top of each other until it has passed Meteorburst Dragon’s head and then quickly grasped onto him, resulting in an explosion from where he stood. As the patches of smoke cleared, Zuzu’s first target was still standing and completely unfazed from the attack as he let out his trademark roar and Yuya’s Life Points decreased to only 3700. Now that his Life Points are less than Zuzu’s by 300, that meant Ancient Sacred Wyvern increased her ATK up to 3400. Even though it didn’t turn out the way she wanted to, at least she can still attack Sora with Mozarta.

“Then I’ll have to change targets,” Zuzu decided. “Mozarta, attack Frightfur Sheep with Graceful Wave!”

With a conductor’s bow in her hands, Mozarta raised it up to the sky and expanded her light green wings encrusted with a gold base. The wings lit up a brighter tint of green as piano keys faded onto them and played notes from highest to lowest. She moved her arms around until her right arm that had the bow in her hand was still pointing up and her left arm extended to her left, leading to two rings of air to form, which then transformed to wind gusts that formed a cyclonic missle aimed straight for Frightfur Sheep. Upon impact, his Fusion monster disintegrated from the field and Sora was sent flying away from her and crashing back first on some grass as his Life Points decreased to 1400. As a result, the difference between his and Zuzu’s Life Points was now 1600, making Wyvern’s ATK a whopping 5000!

Sora kicked his legs up and jumped back into a standing position, surprisingly not fazed from the immense destruction of Frightfur Sheep. Why? Let’s just say he has a trick up his sleeve.

“Whoa…” Yuya said, completely in awe. “Is this your new strategy?”

“It is,” Zuzu confirmed. “The more Life Points I have, the stronger she gets. Hopefully I’ll be able to finish you off by my next turn.”

“Don’t worry, bro,” Sora said as he drew a card to indicate the start of his turn. “I’ll take it from here. I’ll show off my two cards as well by activating Frightfur Edge Imp Cotton Eater and Fluffal Angel: my two new Pendulum cards courtesy of Declan Akaba! Time to swing this duel in my favor!”

Edge Imp Cotton Eater is a Level 7 Scale 1 DARK Fiend-Type Pendulum monster with 2400 ATK and 1600 DEF. Its Pendulum effects grant all Fusion monsters Sora controls 300 additional ATK and lets him draw a card after Fusion Summoning a Frightfur Fusion monster once per turn. Its monster effect—after it is special summoned—enables it to inflict 200 damage points to the opponent for every Frightfur monster in the Graveyard, but this can only be done once per turn.

Fluffal Angel is a Level 2 Scale 8 LIGHT Fairy-Type Pendulum monster with 600 ATK and 1200 DEF. His Pendulum effect allows Sora to target and special summon a Fluffal or an Edge Imp monster from the Graveyard at the cost of not special summoning monsters, except for Fusion monsters, from the Extra Deck for the rest of the turn; this effect can only be done once per turn. By using his monster effect once per turn, he can be tributed in order for a Frightfur Fusion monster to be targeted and special summoned from the Graveyard.

He placed his two new Pendulum cards on the opposite ends of his Duel Disk and the word “PENDULUM” flashed one letter at a time in a rainbow of colors. The two monsters ascended in their separate columns of light, and once they stopped after appearing on the field, their respective Scale numbers, 1 and 8, appeared below them.

“Time to bring out a new furry flurry!” Sora declared. “I Pendulum Summon Fluffals Dog, Penguin, and Leo!”

A portal opened up between Fluffal Angel and Edge Imp Cotton  three trails of pink, purple, and yellow energetic aura shot out from the exposed gap. They all landed on the field to reveal themselves to be Fluffals Dog, Penguin, and Leo.

Fluffal Dog depicts a light peach puppy with brown spots and angel wings; he is also a Level 4 EARTH Fairy-Type monster with 1700 ATK and 1000 DEF. When he is normal or special summoned, a Fluffal monster—except Fluffal Dog—or an Edge Imp Sabres can be added from the deck to Sora’s hand, but this effect can only be done once per turn.

Fluffal Penguin is shown to be a young chick with a pair of earmuffs on his head and two angel wings stylized to be a bowtie. His card information states he is a Level 4 WATER Fairy-Type monster with 1600 ATK and 1000 DEF. During Sora’s Main Phase, he can special summon one other Fluffal monster from his hand, but this can be done once if Fluffal Penguin is face-up on the field. If he was sent to the Graveyard as a Fusion Material to Fusion Summon a Frightfur Fusion monster, two cards are drawn and once is discarded; this effect can be done once per turn.

Even though Sora hasn’t gotten a chance to use Dog or Penguin, it was his first time using Leo since the Arc League Championship Battle Royale. He is a yellow lion with silver gauntlets on his legs and also has angel wings on his back; additionally, he is a Level 4 EARTH Fairy-Type monster with 1600 ATK and 1200 DEF. His effect allows him to gain 500 ATK until the end of the Battle Phase when he is used to declare an attack.

Wait, hold on… Three Fluffals with the same Level… Three Level 4 monsters… Was he going to…? No, it can’t be! He doesn’t even own any XYZ monsters! Was this part of this trick he has or was he actually going to XYZ Summon? Well, one things for certain: Yuya and Zuzu both know how the Pendulum Summoned monsters all share the same Level and are also unsure if Sora was going to bring out his own XYZ monster.

“Now I activate Fluffal Dog’s special ability!” Sora announced. “He’ll fetch a Fuffal monster straight from my deck! And thanks to Fluffal Penguin’s special ability, I can bring a furry little feline out on the field! So show us your fluff, Fluffal Cat!”

A light purple kitten with a bushy tail, a pink bowtie, and angel wings on her back lept out from a glowing light from the Monster Zone she was summoned onto and headed to her owner to help him provide transportation. The special summoned Fluffal Cat is a Level 1 EARTH Fairy-Type monster with 700 ATK and 300 DEF. If she was used as a Fusion Material for a Fusion Summon and sent to the Graveyard, a Polymerization in the Graveyard can be targeted and added to the hand, but it can only be done once per turn.

“Now for the main event!” Sora declared. “Time to Overlay my three Level 4 Fluffals! King of the jungle, man’s best friend, breezy delight… When the three get together, you’ll soon see great might! I XYZ Summon Frightfur Phoenix!”

Its scissor-bladed wings popped out with the light reflecting off the blades, a stuffed bird foot sewn together on the limb of a leg stomped down on the ground, the face appeared from the shadows, carrying the trademark, demonic Frightfur eyes, and unleashed its mighty roar. Without a doubt, this monster was Sora’s newest, and first, XYZ monster: Frightfur Phoenix, a Rank 4 DARK Fiend-Type XYZ monster with 1650 ATK and 1100 DEF. It requires 3 Level 4 Fluffal monsters to be used for an XYZ Summon. Once per turn, by detaching one XYZ Material, it can target a face-up monster an opponent controls and gains ATK equal to its original ATK, which is basically similar to one of Raidraptor - Rise Falcon’s effects.

Yuya and Zuzu were absolutely surprised. “When did you get that?!” Yuya asked.

“Frightfur Phoenix?” Sora cheekily asked. “Oh, he’s custom I ordered from Huffington Creations. They specialize in creating personalized cards of every type. It’s a famous company in the Fusion Dimension.”

Huffington Creations has an interesting story on how it became what it is today. In the earlier years, its founder and CEO Chumley was once a student at Duel Academy prior to Leo taking over. As a former Slifer Red student, his dueling skills weren’t exactly the best, but his art skills were remarkably extraordinary. By the time he had reached his midteens, Duel Academy was dramatically changing into something more sinisterly militaristic, training the students to be future duel soldiers in order to aid the newfound Professor into completing his ultimate plan by turning the dimensional populace into cards, a goal he calls the Arc Project. What’s worse was how widespread the influence was growing, claiming the minds of almost every student and staff member, warping them into following these cult-like extravagant beliefs, and even going as far as erasing their memories prior to joining in order for them to not think about their friends and families when being molded into the ruthless duel soldiers.

What should Chumley do? Everywhere he went, the place he called home after finishing elementary school was no longer making him feel like home. Besides, what good would a Slifer Red like him be in accomplishing such a massive mission? At that point, it looked like he had no other option; was it escaping? No, who knows how strict the faculty would become where they prohibit breaches? It was something he never thought he would do: rebel against the system in the subtlest way possible. Throughout the remainder of the year, he deliberately duped the teachers into believing his dueling skills were not strong enough to embark on the required tasks necessary for the Arc Project to succeed. However, his scheme was fulfilled faster than he thought, mainly due to the frustration he caused in the process. The last sights he ever saw of Duel Academy were a young Yuri sitting on the bench, a long-haired, dark blonde, 13-year-old girl walking past him as he approached the parked boat.

With him finally returned to Domino City, he could now use what he feels like he is actually an expert at doing and hone his art talents to form a better career. After opening up his own membership platform account to help support himself for his work, creating an efficient business plan and structure, brainstorming his finances, earning his licenses and permits, setting up accounting systems, constructing the initial building for his own job, and hiring a team of loyal employees, Huffington Creations went from a small business into a popular company across the Fusion Dimension and now the Fusion quadrant of the resurrected Original Dimension. Citizens and future students were amazed at all the custom cards being produced not long after the grand opening and it greatly boosted marketing and promotional strategies during the next couple years. Heck, last year, Cyber Girl Ritual and Fusion anti-support cards were made and distributed to a teenage girl shortly after co-founding You Show Duel School because of the enmity with Duel Academy she obtained during her escape.

“Now to activate Frightfur Phoenix’s special ability!” Sora declared. “By using an Overlay Unit, he’ll gain all of Odd-Eyes Meteorburst Dragon’s attack! Burning Absorption!”

An Overlay Unit dissipated as it struck the center of Phoenix’s chest and a reddish-orange aura surrounded Meteorburst Dragon’s body. The aura then shot upwards and dashed to the XYZ Frightfur monster, leading to combusting flames forming in the shape of a phoenix as his ATK dramatically increased to 4150. Thanks to this effect, he was currently the strongest monster out of all of them in this Action Duel.

“Now to take case of that oversized fairy,” Sora said. “Frightfur Phoenix, attack Mozarta! Ragged Scissor Slash!”

Coated in a fiery shield from the ATK boost, Frightfur Phoenix rose up to the sky and changed his trajectory so that he was facing directly at Mozarta. He took a sharp nosedive downward to where she was to destroy her, expanding his rough, jagged scissor-bladed wings as he made swift slashes and deep gashes on her. Going out with a huge bang, the force of the explosion crept up to Zuzu to deal 550 damage, bringing her Life Points down to 3450 while bracing herself; however, despite the small drop, a roar came out from Ancient Sacred Wyvern and her ATK increased to 6800.

A flabbergasted Sora couldn’t understand the surge in her ATK. How was that even possible? She was supposed to gain or lose ATK based on the difference between Zuzu and her opponent’s Life Points. Something then popped into his mind that made remember he was not her only opponent. While it was true the difference between their Life Points is 2050 and it would make her ATK 7050, her effects also affect her battles against Yuya; she now has less Life Points than him, making their difference -250, so factoring it into the overall duel, it lowered it down to 6800. Who would have ever thought applying mathematics in a Battle Royale when Ancient Sacred Wyvern is involved would be so complex?

“Fluffal Cat, you better switch to defense mode,” Sora said as he petted her back. “Can you take things from here, Yuya?”

“Sure thing, Sora,” Yuya replied. “Time to start my turn!” He drew a card and his eyes widened. “Sorry Performapals Uni and Corn, but you’ve done a good job. It’s now time to bring in my main star! Come on out, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!”

Uni and Corn’s entire physical appearances altered themselves and became two light blue glowing aura. They both disintegrated from the ground up as the two Performapals were sent to the Graveyard and a third glowing light manifested itself on the field. A flash of red and green heterochronic eyes penetrated through the glow and a head shifted upwards to unleash his roar; the volume packed in the roar burst through the illumination that confided his figure, shattering it into miniscule sparks to uncloak himself as Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon.

“Sorry Yuya, but I don’t think your ace can help you out,” Zuzu pointed out.

“I can at least try,” Yuya insisted.

“Well it’s my turn now,” Zuzu said as she drew a card. “I equip Ancient Sacred Wyvern with Cestus of Dagla, allowing me to gain Life Points every time she attacks!”

Not only does her Life Points increase by the same number of the inflicted damage, the equipped monster gains 500 ATK; however, these effects only work if the monster is a Fairy-Type. Although she doesn’t have any arms, her hands are attached to her wings, so she was able to get a grip on the Equip Spell, making her ATK a total of 7300.

Allie was in awe. “Wow… There’s no way Yuya and Sora can beat Zuzu now! She’s unstoppable!”

It may be admirable for her, but it didn’t spell good news for Yuya or Sora. Because this is a Battle Royale, it was going to be more challenging to make sure Wyvern’s ATK decrease. Destroying Mozarta hardly helped, so what are they going to do now? It seems like they’re best bet was to find Action Cards; at this point, they need to find any of them if they were going to delay the inevitable or turn the tables on Zuzu and gain the advantage. Yuya quickly climbed up Odd-Eyes’ back and hopped onto his head in order to see if there were any up in the trees; as for Sora, with Fluffal Cat in defense position, he’ll have to run to scan the lower regions while his adoptive brothers searches the upper areas.

Unfortunately Zuzu was thinking the same thing. As soon as she climbed onto Ancient Sacred Wyvern’s back. “Not so fast!” she exclaimed after zooming past the two brothers. “I activate the Action Spell Double Stri-”

“Yuya! I have something important to tell you!”

Up in the projection room, Skip had just ran in right as the door opened and reached an empty space next to Gong and the kids. Zuzu halted her Main Phase and put the entire Battle Royale on an intermission to see what her father had to say to Yuya. Speaking of him, he slid down Odd-Eyes’ back all the way to his tail and leapt off it before turning to face where the window to the projection room was to see Skip.

“What is it, Principal Boyle?” Yuya asked.

“Declan Akaba just called,” Skip explained. “He has some important news for you. It’s about your status as a pro Duelist.”

“Funny you should mention that…” Yuya sadly muttered as he scratched the back of his head. “I’ve been meaning to talk to him about that…”

“So you already know about the Leo Institute internship?” Skip asked.

Yuya looked surprised. “An internship…?” he repeated.

“He’ll explain everything to you once you get there,” Skip explained.

Yuya swallowed some saliva forming in his mouth as a gulp pierced through his shut lips. He was already aware of his new status as a Pro Duelist after his and Zuzu’s revival, but since when did he have to take part in an internship? Does that mean he was going to get a job? But what about his classes at Paradise Prep? The duel sessions at You Show? Most importantly, what about Zuzu and Gong? They all have been close to each other ever since they were kids; his strategies have greatly improved and expanded throughout his time at the other three dimensions, already setting him apart from them, so where does his status fit in all of this? Is it there to only wedge that gap between them farther apart?

“Yuya?” Gong asked. “You feelin’ okay?”

Yuya looked at Skip. “Tell Declan…I have to decline,” he said. “I can’t leave my friends behind…”

“I don’t think you can,” Skip explained. “Declan seemed pretty insistent. He really needs to speak to you.”

“I told you, I can’t!” Yuya repeated, tears brimming from his eyes. “I-”

Zuzu interrupted Yuya by placing her hand on his shoulder. “If you’re that upset, I’ll come with you,” she suggested.

“Gong will come too,” Gong added. “Can’t let ya face this on your own.”

“Really?” Yuya asked. A small smile appeared on his face. “You guys…”

“We’ve grown up together,” Gong said. “If Declan’s got somethin’ planned, we’ve got every right to know what’s gonna happen to you, Yuya.”

Yuya wiped the tears from his eyes. “Thanks…” he muttered.

With the Battle Royale now over despite having no outcome on who the victor was, the trio all departed You Show Duel School and made their way to Leo Corporation. Yuya was honestly glad to have his friends around alongside him; it was almost like they could tell why this was happening so suddenly or…maybe they’re doing this out of reassurance. They probably chose to come along with him to help soothe this fear he has within him, but the only question is whether or not they _do_ know about it. Could they tell there was something about this internship that’s making him uneasy? Granted, he was never informed about it all until moments ago, but still. Whatever the case is, Zuzu and Gong both hoped they will get to the bottom of this and learn why Declan wants to offer it to Yuya.

Unfortunately Yuya was too scared to start walking. “It’s okay, Yuya,” Zuzu reassured. “No matter what happens in there, we’ll support you?”

“Are you sure?” Yuya asked. “I’m already a pro. Doesn’t that make me different from you two?”

“A title’s a title, Yuya,” Gong reassured. “Just ‘cause your deck’s currently better than ours, it doesn’t mean it’ll stay that way. That’s why Gong was alright with teaching Zuzu about Synchro Summoning in the first place.”

“I remember you mentioning that during the duel with Sora,” Yuya told Zuzu. “Is that true?”

“It is,” Zuzu confirmed. She playfully nudged Yuya in the arm with her elbow. “I gotta keep up with you so I can become a pro too.”

Zuzu? A future pro? That was also why she pretended she was focusing on her career as a musician? To achieve new skills and learn other special summoning techniques and catch up with Yuya? This was all shocking to him yet it felt all too relieving. He was so caught up in comparing their decks and the fear of him leaving them in the dust all because of his pro status that he never thought about that. Guess it is a good thing modifying deck recipes exists because if it wasn’t for the call and the trip to Card Craze, he wouldn’t have found out about this revelation and would feel more anxious anout this internship.

“Does this mean you plan on learning XYZ Summoning next?” Yuya guessed.

“Once I get the hang of Synchros,” Zuzu admitted. “Now let’s see what this internship thing is about.”

Although Leo Corporation wasn’t far away from their Duel school, it definitely wasn’t close. The three had already crossed one of the roads going over the river and walked past several blocks of buildings, but they didn’t want to keep Declan waiting. Picking up the speed, they ran down the bustling downtown streets, running on the sidewalks and crossing any crosswalks that were permitting pedestrians to get across safely whenever  the cars were at a red light. In only a matter of approximately ten minutes, they all arrived at Leo Corporation; no doubt Declan was waiting for them in his office.

Yuya placed his hand on the door and took a deep breath. “You ready, guys?” he asked.

“Sure thing,” Gong answered.

“Time to begin a new chapter in our lives!” Zuzu cheered.

A rotation of Yuya’s head from his friends back to the entrance had his eyes fixated back at the door, his palm still resting on the screen. The sound of an exhale escaped his mouth as he braced himself for what may lie ahead; a brand new era was going to begin for them and everything aside from the Interdimensional War may not be the same for them once he learns about the internship. His eyebrows furrowed downward to express his determination for his future to become a Pro Duelist alongside Zuzu, knowing they’ll finally spend the rest of their lives with each other. Applying force to the hand, he pushed it forward to swing open the door enough for the trio to enter the building.

Eventually the three Duelists arrived at Declan’s office, where he was waiting for them. “Thank you for coming, Yuya,” he said. “I’m sure Skip Boyle has informed you of the internship.”

“He did,” Yuya sadly confirmed. “But I’ll have to turn it down. I’m only 14 years old.” He sheepishly rubbed his arm. “This internship-”

“Is nothing more than an excellent opportunity,” Declan interrupted. “A pro status guarantees success for life. If you agree to the internship, your future will be set in stone.”

“But do I have to leave my old life behind?!” Yuya frantically asked. “The only reason I made it this far is because of all my friends, especially Zuzu!”

“What ever do you mean?” Declan asked. “The internship doesn’t begin until you graduate.”

Yuya was taken back. “…Huh?”

Declan explained how this internship of his was going to work. Yes, it was true that the academic education is important to Yuya, and seeing that he was going to two different schools in order to become a Dueltainer like Yusho, taking part in the offer would only add some pressure and stress to his busy annual schedule. It would make a lot more sense for him to continue doing what he normally does until he graduates from high school so that he could officially focus on honing his Dueltaining skills for his career.

This was a major relief for Yuya; his worries are proceeding to subside after learning this internship was going to take time. He still has plenty of time to adapt to the new chapter of his life before he could carry on to the following one, and he would have greatly adjusted to possessing his dual-colored eyes and his newfound ability to speak to Zarc by then, so there was no need to rush. He can still be with his friends and family while take the time he needs to prepare for what lies ahead down his dueling journey.

“I don’t know what to say,” Yuya admitted, feeling relieved. “But…I’ve been reconsidering the pro status. Do I really deserve it?”

“Of course,” Declan answered. “Why would you consider otherwise.”

Yuya took out his Extra Deck and fanned it out. “Because I only earned that because of the other dragons,” he explained. “But after the separation procedure, they went back to their original owners. I don’t think I deserve to be a pro afterwards…”

“That’s crazy talk,” Gong said. “Gong saw you defeat Declan fair and square.”

“But it doesn’t feel right,” Yuya insisted. He put his Extra Deck back with his main deck. “How can I still be a pro when I’m missing most of the cards that earned me that title?”

“Yuya, do you know why I became so fond of you in the first place?” Declan asked.

“Because of the Pendulum cards?” Yuya assumed.

“Not quite,” Declan corrected. He looked at Yuya straight in the eyes. “Because when I saw you duel the Sledgehammer, I detected untapped potential in you. You had the makings to be an amazing Duelist. I just needed to give you the right motivation. Granted a lot of what happened was unexpected, but nevertheless, it all worked out. That’s why you deserve to be a pro.”

“Then why doesn’t it feel like that?” Yuya insisted. “Why do I feel weaker without the other dragons?”

Weaker? That’s an absurd statement for him to say. Prior to the Arc League Championship, he has been making amazing progress as a Duelist, obtaining new variants of his Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon card and learning some new strategies to incorporate into his deck. Even the entirety of the Interdimensional War proves how much his dueling skills has matured; he has mastered all four special summoning techniques thanks to his encounters with the many denizens of the dimensional cities, especially his counterparts. While it was true Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri all assisted him in advancing his deck with their skills, perhaps the dragons returning to their respective owners was for the best because maybe it meant it was time for him to test what he knew from his revival and add unique twists to them that lets him remind himself how what he went through made him into a strong Duelist, not a weaker one. After a bit of quick thinking, Declan might have a solution in mind that can help ease Yuya’s little crisis.

“If you still think you are weak, what if I was to arrange a rematch?” Declan suggested.

Yuya was surprised by the offer. “A rematch?” he echoed.

“Precisely,” Declan answered. “A rematch of the duel that gave you your pro status, but on different terms. If you defeat me using the very cards you now have, your status will remained unchanged. But if I win, you get to go back to being a regular Duelist. Does that seem fair?”

Yuya didn’t respond. “Come on, Yuya,” Zuzu encouraged. “I wasn’t really there when you became a pro. Now I can see how it all began.”

“Alright,” Yuya told Declan. “But I want it to be a private duel.”

“What do you mean by 'private’?” Declan asked.

“I only want Zuzu, Gong, my parents, and everyone from You Show to see us,” Yuya explained.

That seemed fair enough; it would make sense for his loved ones to personally witness how far he has come rather than a public audience. Having everyone from all four dimensions watching Yuya’s duels after his revival was all for the purpose of taming Zarc’s soul and making him and Riley smile, which resulted in Zuzu getting revived; interestingly enough, it was also when he utilized everything he learned and adquired new monsters as each duel progressed. With the Odd-Eyes variants he obtained and recently bought, Yuya hoped what he has now truly was proof of how stronger he has become.

“What about Sora?” Gong asked.

“He counts as part of You Show,” Yuya explained. “And he’s my brother now. He deserves to see this private duel.”

“Very well,” Declan said. “I will contact Skip Boyle immediately to set up a duel for this afternoon. I advise you to prepare you deck wisely.”

“Thanks, Declan,” Yuya said with a bow. “I appreciate it.”

Yuya, Zuzu, and Gong all turned around and headed for the door where they came in. A positive from this meeting was Yuya didn’t have to worry about the internship until after high school; he had all the time he needs to adjust to these new changes, but he still wasn’t sure if all the changes were going to be great. Now that his counterparts regained their physical bodies, are his connections with Odd-Eyes and the other Dimensional Dragons severed or reborn? He wouldn’t know for certain unless he incorporates his newly obtained cards into his deck and hones them in his upcoming due later on. Hopefully, his friends, family, and even Zarc might have some input on this ordeal and give him just enough confidence to pull through.

Not long after the door closed behind the trio to signal the end of the meeting, Declan had already started making preparations for their rematch. He had notified Henrietta and Claude about how everything went and wanted to be sure this duel was arranged as privately as possible as per Yuya’s wishes. With it being exclusive to only those who are closest to him, a plausible location to settle the Pro Duelist status would be at You Show; it was where their first duel took place after all.

“Very well, sir,” Claude said. “I’ll send out the invitations right away. Just send me the list of Duelists who should receive them.”

“Certainly,” Declan replied. He sent Claude a list. “Make sure they’re all present. Yuya was very specific about who would attend this private duel.”

“It doesn’t matter what the outcome is,” Henrietta said. “I was the one who suggested the internship for the young boy, so I wish he would rather take it gratefully. His contributions would be rather beneficial for the company.”

“But mother, remember that I said he was still young,” Declan pointed out. “And like I suspected, he feels unsure about this position being forced on him.”

“Very well,” Henrietta complied. “But if this duel ends with you winning, I’ll have to step in. Yuya Sakaki must join the Leo Institute no matter what.”

Despite feeling guilty regarding what she did to Riley and everything essentially going back to normal ever since the blood separation procedure, Henrietta Akaba is still the chairwoman of the Leo Institute of Dueling and Leo Corporation. Her son may be the CEO of the company, but she’s the one who makes the calls at the Duel School; its reputation is what drives her to do whatever it takes to protect it and continue to flourish. Her strict demeanor combined with her collect, level-headed exterior makes her a remarkable strategist when it comes to the business industry, always planning and responding accordingly to make sure her formulas are executed successfully. They typically never failed her in the past before, so this particular duel wouldn’t be much different; just don’t be surprised if she goes to extreme lengths to make sure Yuya does become part of LID because she cannot fathom the thought of its standards being loss. Yuya not being victorious would deal a major blow to his dueling position and she won’t stand by and let him lose it.

“I understand, mother,” Declan spoke up. “But something tells me things won’t be like what you expect. Who knows what’s going on in Yuya’s mind at the moment.”


End file.
